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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24985867">Becoming Shinobi</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blrd41/pseuds/Blrd41'>Blrd41</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 02:28:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>45,370</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24985867</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blrd41/pseuds/Blrd41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After holding her own in a fight for her life, Mizuchi Lee, the spirited but sheltered sister of Rock Lee, attracts the attention of Kakashi Hatake, who’s looking for an unorthodox solution to his dissonant team. A story of growth, friendship, teamwork, apprenticeship, joy, love, heartache, and, ultimately, shinobi. Shortly after Zabuza saga. Endgame is KakashiXOC, but it’s more about the journey.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hatake Kakashi/Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>45</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Cat</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hello! First fanfic since 1 short-lived one in middle school. I’m a slow writer but the goal is weekly updates. Doing my best to stay true to the original characters we all love. Our protagonist is Lee’s sister. I always imagined he came from an old and traditional civilian family, but he just turned out weird XD He’s one of my favorite characters, but he’s already at his best with Guy-sensei. And thus, a sister was born. The beautiful relationship between Guy and Lee warms my heart and ignites the fire in my soul, and I believe Kakashi deserves that too. Hope I can make a few people laugh and use this story to get over my perfectionism-induced writer’s block. Sorry for rambling!<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Rating currently T, mainly for violence and some serious topics. Just ninja things, you know?</p><p>Double posting because this chapter is short and the second one is better. Please read and review!</p><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own Naruto or any of its characters! I just adore it.<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Chapter 1: The Cat</p>
<hr/><p>“Just these ones, Grandma Hatsu?” the girl asked, wiping the sweat from her brow with a wrist instead of her dirt-dusted hands.</p><p>“That will do nicely, young miss. It’s so kind of you to come all the way up here to help an old lady like me. I’m afraid my back just isn’t what it used to be,” the short, old woman laughed with a wrinkly smile.</p><p>The girl hefted a basketful of potatoes over to a water pump, knees wobbling under the stress. She strained over the pump for a minute, and then started washing the potatoes in a newly-filled bucket.</p><p>“Oh, you don’t need to do that, dear. That much I can handle!”</p><p>“Don’t be silly, Grandma!” the girl smiled, flexing her stiff pink hands. “This old mountain water is as cold as fresh snow. Even out in the sun, you’d catch your death.” She replaced the clean potatoes in the basket and stood up, wiping her wet hands on her plain kimono. “Let me pump you a few more buckets for the kitchen before I leave!”</p><p>“You really are the hidden treasure of the Leaf, Miss Lee. You’re wasted on these mountains and an old hag like me.”</p><p>“Don’t be silly, Grandma,” Lee blushed. “I am no treasure. And you are no hag! What I’m really wasted on is my parents and that old shack of theirs with its old rules. My body is young and healthy, and it’s put to better use out here. My hands have grown weary of pouring tea and folding napkins. These potatoes though,” Lee tossed a few into the air with a joyful laugh, before juggling them around, “Well, they keep my hands guessing.”</p><p>Grandma Hatsu watched happily, clapping when the young girl made a particularly good save.</p><p>The old woman looked up suddenly, as if she heard something.<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>"Well, now. It's getting dark, dear. Please," she said, taking the potatoes from the girl's hands and placing them in a small basket, “take these with you. And share them with your brother, if he comes around. Quickly now, it's getting dark!" The woman looked nervously into the rapidly darkening woods.</p><p>"I know these woods well enough, Grandma Hatsu. But I concede. Father and Mother will be home soon, and I should have the kettle on by now." Lee pulled a ribbon loose, letting her long, black hair tumble down around her face and back, the sweat on her neck and brow already dried from the swiftly cooling air.</p><p>"Make haste, child!" the old woman urged, handing the girl the basket and practically shoving her on her way.</p><p>"You superstitious old woman! I'm going already!" Lee laughed, waving as she started down a narrow mountain path. As Grandma Hatsu's home faded behind her, the girl felt a chill down her spine. Something was wrong. "My sensu!" She had forgotten her traditional dancing fans in the rush. <em> Mother would kill me if her precious sensu were not on the shelf when she arrived home. </em></p><p>She turned and half-jogged back up the hill to Grandma Hatsu's, holding the skirt of her kimono so she didn't trip. She heard a loud clatter and a splash. '<em> Grandma must have spilled the water, </em> ' she thought guiltily. <em> I should have carried it into the kitchen for her. </em></p>
<hr/><p>"When is that batty old lady gonna realize her cat doesn't want to come back?" groaned Naruto, as he leapt from one tree to the next. "I mean it gets farther and farther away each time, and we keep dragging it back. Isn't that kind of messed up?"</p><p>"A mission's a mission, Naruto! Now shut up and focus," Sakura grunted through her headset.</p><p>"I hate to say it, but Naruto's not wrong. This is a total waste of time," said Sasuke, glowering.</p><p>"See! Even Sasuke agrees! That cat's sick of running away, and I'm sick of chasing it. You'd think the old geezer would start giving us some real missions. I mean, we took down Zabuza for crying out loud!"</p><p>"No. <em> Kakashi-sensei </em> took down Zabuza! We might have helped, but we're still just genin. Until we're chuunin, we only expected to do C and D rank missions. That was an anomaly." Sakura sighed. <em> Who am I kidding? I'm sick of this kiddy crap too! </em></p><p>"Still," Sasuke mused, "a D rank mission is so far below our level it's ridiculous. Even a trainee can track down a cat. How is this helping the village?"</p><p>"Funding, Sasuke. Now quiet down, you three. There's a lot more than runaway cats in these mountains," Kakashi warned.</p><p>"Like what? Squirrels?" laughed Naruto</p><p>"Hmm. Well there's bears, mountain lions, giant snakes…"</p><p><em> Giant…snakes? </em> gulped Naruto.</p><p>"There've been rumors of bandits. Sometimes rogue shinobi camp out in mountain caves waiting to ambush Leaf shinobi coming in and out of the village," continued Kakashi.</p><p><em> People like us </em>, thought Sakura.</p><p>"Oh yeah, and some farmers have reported strange moans during the night. They say the spirits of fallen shinobi wander these woods, trying to find their way back to the village. It's just a rumor though. I wouldn't worry about it!" he said cheerfully.</p><p>"S-spirits? What kind of moans?" Naruto asked shakily.</p><p>"There's no such thing as spirits, Naruto," Sasuke glared defiantly, though Naruto couldn't see it. He sped up marginally, his eyes lingering on every shadow.</p><p>"Were they moans? No, maybe they were cries. Or screams. Yeah," Kakashi nodded to himself, with a smirk, "I think it was screams."</p><p>"Heeey. It's getting kind of late, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said, looking around mid-jump. "Maybe we should call it a night. That cat will probably just turn up in the morning! Right, right! No use looking when it's dark!" Naruto laughed nervously and slowly started turning around.</p><p>"Oh, they're just rumors, Naruto. I mean, sure, a few people have died around here—"</p><p><em> DIED!? </em> Sakura stopped jumping and settled on a large branch. <em> Wait. That's—! </em></p><p> </p><p>"Target sighted. Permission to engage?" Sasuke said, suddenly serious.</p><p>"Permission gra—" Clank! There was a crash in the distance. "I'm going to scout ahead. You three watch the target, but maintain distance and remain quiet. I'll signal if I see trouble." Kakashi broke away from their formation and headed toward the sound.</p><p>"W-wait! But Sensei, what if it's a—" Naruto lowered his voice, "Sensei, what if it's a spirit?"</p><p>"Then you'll be the first one I call for help." He gave a little wave, though only Naruto was close enough to him to notice.</p><p>"I don't like this," Naruto grumbled, leaping from one shadowed branch to the next, eyes following the cat. The three slowly pulled closer together around the cat.</p><p>"I think we've established that, Naruto," Sasuke said, rolling his eyes.</p><p>"Look! It's heading toward where that sound came from," Sakura pointed.</p><p>"That's odd," Sasuke wondered, "Most animals run away from loud noises."</p><p>"What if the cat's been possessed by the spirit of a vengeful shinobi?" Naruto swallowed nervously.</p><p><em> What an idiot! </em> thought Sasuke, scoffing.</p><p>"That's just stupid, Naruto!" Sakura whispered sharply.</p><p>"No. Think about it! What if this cat is just letting itself get caught. And every time it escapes, it's bringing intel to the other spirits about how to get into the village!"</p><p>"Then why is it getting farther and farther away each time?"</p><p>"Sasuke, you're not taking him seriously, are you? And why would spirits need intel? They could just float through walls."</p><p> </p><p>"Naruto?"</p><p>"I'm thinking!" Naruto murmured to himself for a minute. "Well, what if that cat didn't want to get caught anymore? What if it already got the information it needs? What if—" A loud scream pierced through the dusk.</p><p>"We've got trouble," Kakashi whispered into his headset. "Don't be seen. Don't let that cat out of your sight." The cat disappeared into the growing shadow of a large tree.</p><p>"Uh oh."</p><p>"What is it, Naruto?" Sakura whispered urgently.</p><p>"Do you guys see the cat?" Naruto asked, landing on a particularly large branch.</p><p>Sasuke swore under his breath.</p><p>"This is your fault, Naruto! If we hadn't been listening to your superstitious nonsense, we would've noticed No wonder we’re still getting stuck with D rank missions!" Sakura growled, doing her best to express the extent of her rage without actually raising her voice.</p><p>"Shut up and focus," Sasuke ordered. "Naruto, you look to the northwest. That's where that sound came from. Sakura, you take the north. I'll look behind us and to the east, just in case it backtracked."</p><p>"Who made you the boss?" Naruto mumbled, but he began the search without further complaint.</p><p>The three sped up, scanning the woods systematically.</p><p>"There!" exclaimed Naruto, catching sight of the telltale red ribbon in the distance. He took off after it at full speed.</p>
<hr/><p>Farther ahead, Kakashi is crouched in the brush encircling a clearing.</p><p> </p><p>"I will not allow you to harm this village or any of the people in it!"</p>
<hr/><p>A/N: You remember that cat Team 7 chased early on in the series, right?</p><p> </p><p>Fun fact: I technically haven't finished Naruto yet, since I fell out of it early Shippuden because school was a struggle. I've rewatched and I'm currently in the Pain arc. So if I ignore something about a character at some point, that's why!</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. A Thicker Plot</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Second chapter! Whoo! And so it begins.</p><p>Please read and review!</p><p>Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or it's characters.</p>
<hr/><p>Chapter 2: A Thicker Plot</p>
<hr/><p><em>Oh, Grandma Hatsu. I hope you didn't hurt yourself.</em> Lee sighed, tying her hair back again.</p><p>"Grandma," she called, as she made her way to the crest of the hill, "are you alright?"</p><p>"Just fine, dear! Spilled a little water. Now be on your way!"</p><p>"I can't. I left my sensu, Grandma Ha—!" Lee froze, catching sight of Grandma Hatsu. The old woman was brandishing a hoe, her arms shaking and eyes fierce.</p><p><em>What is she…?</em> Lee's eyes panned to the right, where they fell upon a group of rough-looking men. Tattoos, brands, and sweat rolled over bulging muscles. Their clothes were thin and heavily patched, and they wielded hatchets, knives, and clubs. Lee had never seen anyone quite like them before, but she knew they were a bad sort of people.</p><p>She held her chin up, with every ounce of Lee dignity she had, and spoke:</p><p>"What brings you here, men?" she asked, striding over toward Grandma Hatsu, "There is nothing but small potatoes and an old bag of rice. If that is what you desire, then help yourselves and be on your way!" She took the hoe from Grandma Hatsu and tried to pull the woman to the side of the house. She refused to budge.</p><p>"Grandma Hatsu, please," she whispered from the corner of her mouth, "I know this place is precious to you, but your life is worth more!" She pulled harder, but the old woman shook her head, holding angry tears back.</p><p>"We aren't here for potatoes and rice, sweetheart," said a large, tan man, who rested the shaft of a hatchet on his broad shoulder.</p><p>Lee bristled, releasing Grandma Hatsu. She straightened her back and looked him dead in the eye.</p><p>"Then what <em>are</em> you here for?"</p><p>"Well, I'm 'fraid it's like the old cliché: if I told ya, I'd have to kill ya. Which'd be a damn shame, wouldn't it boys?" he snickered, nudging the man next to him, who had a makeshift spear. The men chortled.</p><p>"Leave now, Miss Lee. Please," Grandma Hatsu begged, tears streaming down her face.</p><p>"I—" Lee closed her eyes painfully, "I won't. I can't. I'm sorry, Grandma Hatsu. Not without you. What would my brother say?"</p><p>The men roared with laughter as Lee stepped in front of the older woman, holding the hoe in front of her.</p><p>"Ya think ya can fight us all by ya'self, kitten?" the large man pointed at her with his hatchet. "In these mountains," he lowered his voice maliciously, "no one'll even hear ya scream."</p><p>Lee's fingers tightened around the hoe.</p><p>"Stay behind me, Grandma. I will protect you!" She stepped forward.</p><p>The man ran at her, and Lee swung the hoe with all her might, squeezing her eyes shut involuntarily. His hatchet cleaved through the hoe, splitting the blade from the haft. The metal fell to the ground with a clunk. She jabbed at him with the splintered shaft, but he wrenched the useless stick from her hands and threw it aside.</p><p>Lee's eyes widened as he raised the hatchet and slashed at her. She dove on Grandma Hatsu, knocking her out of the way, and snatched at a metal bucket that lay overturned beside them. Holding it by the handle, she wheeled around and swung it into the man's hand as he pulled the axe back up. The hatchet flew several feet and the man swore and shook his hand, breathing through his teeth.</p><p>"You little bitch," he spit out. "You're really startin' to get on my nerves."</p><p>Lee looked around out of the corner of her eyes. Next to her, on an old stone bench, lay her sensu. She'd fought her brother with them before. They weren't meant for fighting, per say, but they were familiar. <em>I have to distract him</em>.</p><p>"I'll ask you again. What business do you have here? Surely you didn't come all this way to fight a little girl and her grandmother?" She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, resting her hands on her hips. An inch closer.</p><p>"No, kitten. I don' suppose we did."</p><p>"If I am to die, for I know already I am no match for you, at least grant me this: I must know the reason," she stepped back and to the left, and straightened her kimono.</p><p>"Hmm... Well I guess there's no harm in tellin' a corpse, is there?" he laughed, looking back at the other men. "Well, kitten," he rested his hands on his knees so he was at eye level with her, "we know a man who'd pay a pretty penny to get into your Leaf village. Our intel suggests there's an underground passage around here. Starts in the mountains. An old evacuation tunnel. An' Granny here," he stood up and pulled the old lady up off the ground by her thin hair, "is the only one out here old enough to remember exactly where it is."</p><p>Lee bit her cheek, fighting the urge to throw herself at him. She stepped back, as if scared.</p><p>"What will you do?" she asked, clenching her skirt with her sweaty hands. "When you find the tunnel?"</p><p>"We'll just pass along the info and be on our way. We don' mess with shinobi. But our employer ain't a big fan of your precious Leaf Village. He's got plans. Big ones. So don't worry about gettin' lonely, kitten," he said, tossing the old woman aside. He walked towards his hatchet. "I'm sure your friends an' family'll be joining you real soon." Lee looked to her right, where the man had tossed Grandma Hatsu aside. The old woman had a stone clutched in her hand.</p><p>"Now!" Lee shouted. The old woman threw the rock with all her strength, hitting the man in the jaw. Lee kicked the hatchet into a bush and dove for her fans. She smirked triumphantly, as the man stood up, spitting out blood.</p><p>"You old hag!" he kicked at the old woman.</p><p>"Hey!" called the man with the spear, "Don't mess her up too bad. We need to question her, Jaku! You need some help over there?"</p><p>"Yeah, yeah," the man rolled his eyes, calling over his shoulder. "I've got everything under control, Kiji. Just caught me by surprise." He turned to Lee. "What ya gonna do with those little things, huh?" he gestured at the fans, "Blow me away?"</p><p>"Grandma Hatsu, can you move?"</p><p>"Miss Lee, please—"</p><p>"Can you move?" Lee asked, shortly.</p><p>"Yes."</p><p>"Get inside. Don't argue. Barricade yourself. I have a plan."</p><p>"You think I'm just gonna stand here an' let her hole herself up in there?" the man scoffed.</p><p>"I need you to trust me, Grandma Hatsu," Lee said, staring into the older woman's eyes, "I have a plan." Grandma Hatsu nodded reluctantly.</p><p>"I understand. I trust you." The old woman pulled herself off the ground with a grunt. The man, Jaku, grabbed at her, but Lee slapped his wrist with a closed fan. The sound rang through the air as the old woman slipped inside. His tanned skin glowed red.</p><p><em>What's my plan? What's my plan? Oh my god. What's my plan? This man is going to totally destroy me!</em> Lee took a shaky but calming breath. <em>No. Not without a fight. Never without a fight. Are you watching me, Brother? Even if I'm lost, please look upon me favorably and think, "That's my sister. Mizuchi, you did well". If you can think that, Brother, then I can pass on with few regrets.</em></p><p>Jaku drew a long knife from a sheath on his belt. Lee shrunk inwardly, but remained planted firmly on the ground. <em>It's just a wooden kunai. It's just a wooden kunai, </em>she repeated stubbornly.<em> Like Brother and I always played with. This much...I can handle!</em> She sunk into a low, wide stance and spread the fans. Jaku slashed at her, and as the knife bore down on her, it slit through the thin embroidered silk of her fan, freeing it to flutter in a sudden gust which also ripped the ribbon from Lee's hair. The second the blade reached the crook of the fan, Lee snapped it closed and twisted, sending the knife twirling out of his hand. It flew in an upward spiral, and Lee caught it in her left hand.</p><p>Jaku grabbed at her wrist, seeking to control her knife hand, but she spun the second his hand started to close around her, drawing him down to her shorter height where he was off balance. Lee kicked in the bend of his knee and drove the knife into his back before his upper body followed his lower to the ground. He landed with a thump and a groan. She grabbed the bucket off the ground nearby, and, as Jaku started to rise, she wound up and swung the pail into the back of his head, hitting him with the bottom edge. He collapsed forward and didn't move. Blood began to saturate his dirty shirt and stringy brown hair, and it's coppery tang suffused the air, turning Lee's stomach unpleasantly.</p><p><em>Right now, fear is useless. It's useless. I need to protect Grandma Hatsu. Kinder people than me have killed. It's the way of this village. Still,</em> terror gripped at her heart and throat, <em>I hope he isn't dead.</em></p><p>The men were starting towards her, furious and shouting for their fallen leader. Lee shook out her wrist, which was thrumming from the impact.</p><p><em>Oh, I've done it now, </em>she thought miserably, backing up toward the house, clenching the hilt of the long knife with both hands.</p><p>"So you're a little shinobi fledgeling, then?" asked Kiji, the man with the spear. "Guess we had some bad luck. But you're not very good, so I'm not too worried." He walked toward her slowly, his blade pointed at her throat. The other men crowded around Jaku. Lee scoffed and held her chin high.</p><p>"I'm no shinobi. This is what it means to be a civilian in the Hidden Leaf village. We're woven from a tougher fabric than you lot. Do you really want to be next? Even a little civilian girl like me is better than your leader. You can't even imagine the power a shinobi wields. What will you do when the village finds out about this? Leave! And take your low-minded motives with you!"</p><p>"He's alive, Kiji!" exclaimed one of the men. "Just out cold. She didn't hit anything vital. But we gotta get this treated fast." Kiji laughed shakily, clearly relieved.</p><p>"Civilian indeed."</p><p>"If you surrender," Lee offered cautiously, "he will be treated. I'm sure of it. Even war criminals receive mercy in this village. And once you've served your time, depending on your crimes, you may be allowed to assimilate." Kiji laughed again.</p><p>"You self-righteous little brat. We don't want the mercy of a load of back-stabbing, duplicitous snakes. You'll offer us mercy? Hah! You leaf people are all the same," he sneered and prodded Lee in the chin with the butt of his spear, driving her back into Grandma Hatsu's door. "Better to snuff them out young," he said darkly. Lee licked the blood from her bitten lip. It dripped down her chin, a liquid ruby on her pale skin. Her hair hung about her like a dark cloud, casting long spidery shadows over her eyes in the dusky light.</p><p>"You speak of justice and mercy and helping the weak," Kiji continued, "but you solve all your problems under cover of dark, slipping poison into your enemies' porridge and slitting their throats in their sleep. Real men fight under the sun. You think we were born without homes or food?" He was yelling now, his face contorting nastily. "None of our villages could afford your steep price of freedom!" He slammed the butt of his spear into the door behind her. It vibrated against her back and through her head. The knife slipped through her fingers and fell blade-first into the earth. "We were so ransacked by the bandits of other countries, we couldn't help but become just like them. Meanwhile, you send your ninja to every rich noble with a heavy purse, even if they're on the other side of the world."</p><p>He stepped even closer and spit in Lee's face, where defiance flashed dangerously. "My friend here would die before he'd take your help, you pompous little bitch!" With a growl, Lee kneed Kiji in the groin and seized the spear from his hands as he doubled over in pain. Too close to stab, she swung the spear like a bat into the man's head, sending him tumbling to the ground. She raised the spear like a harpoon and brought it down. It made its way halfway through his middle before the makeshift blade snapped inside him. As he moved to get up and the rest of the men charged toward her, Lee stepped on the base of the blade, driving it all the way through him to the ground, doing her best to ignore the sickening squelch. Kiji cried out and started to choke on blood.</p><p><em>Don't think. Don't feel. Don't think. Don't feel,</em> Lee chanted in her head. <em>Just fight. Live.</em></p><p>Remembering her failure with the broken hoe, Lee hooked the bucket onto the end of the stick and put her trust in momentum once again, swinging it into the head of a man with a rusty mattock. He fell onto his knees with a yell, holding his head. A younger man-barely a man-with a pitchfork stabbed at her, but Lee dove to the side just in time. She slammed the bucket-spear onto his weight-bearing foot while he was still overextended, and the man tripped slightly, then jumped around on his other foot swearing.</p><p>"Useless!" one of the other men shouted, shoving the man-boy out of the way. He swung a large axe at her, narrowly missing as she jumped backwards. She swung the bucket-spear overhead, and, as luck would have it, the bucket slipped off and fell onto the man's head. Lee hit it with the stick. The bucket pealed like a bell, the sound rippling outward in waves. The man stumbled around dizzily like a drunk, then fell into the man-boy as he was getting up. The two flailed in a jumbled pile on the ground.</p><p>"Someone take that bloody bucket away from her!" Kiji choked out, trying to get up. The man-boy heard him and hurriedly yanked the bucket from his angry comrade's head. As he pulled, the handle caught on the underside of the axeman's chin. He let out a strangled yowl. The man had bit his tongue and blood was gushing forth. Eyes burning with fury, the axeman grabbed the man-boy by the throat and threw him into the stonebench. The boy tried to catch himself as he fell, but his arm twisted and broke with a crack. He clutched his arm and wailed. Lee winced.</p><p><em>Well, it's one less person to deal with. </em>The axeman was grabbing his axe again and trying to rejoin the fight, but he seemed dizzy with blood loss and rage. Lee jabbed at him with the splintered spear-end, and the sturdy wood pierced through his shirt and an inch of flesh. As he fell backwards, he took the spear with him.</p><p>Three unharmed men remained, Lee observed. One was very large and bore a massive club covered in nails. The second was slender and had a long knife. And the last had a sword, chipped and aged, but real. His cheekbones were high and his eyes were small and clever.</p><p>They closed in around her.</p><p>She heard Kiji let out a spiteful laugh.</p><p>"What will you do now, little girl? No weapons. Just those skinny-" he fell into a short fit of coughs, "-those skinny arms. Our employer already knows about this place. He'll send more like us," he coughed again, blood splattering the ground as he clutched his stomach. "They'll find the entrance, and, before you know it, your precious village, your little friends and family, will be ripped to shreds. His shinobi will kill your father and brothers, enslave and prostitute your mother and sisters, and then <em>maybe</em> you'll get a glimpse of life outside those blood-red walls."</p><p>"You know nothing! Nothing! These people are good and kind. Our shinobi are brave and just! You spew hate because it is all you've known," Lee yelled, angry tears spilling down her cheeks. In her mind she saw her brother, who was off on a dangerous mission, giving her the thumbs-up. Telling her that someday he would protect the whole Land of Fire with his taijutsu. That he would be a splendid ninja.</p><p>"There are not enough ninjas in this one village to protect the whole Land of Fire. How could there be? We're just one village! I am sorry if you felt abandoned, but everyone in this village is doing the absolute best they can. And so I must do my best as well!" Lee knelt down and grabbed her fans from the ground, though one was torn. Rivulets of blood ran from the cuts on her arms, staining the white silk of the sensu. Her clothes were tattered and ripped. Her lips were as red as cherries, the color stretching down either side of her chin. Trace tears cut through her dirt-smudged cheeks like stripes on a tiger. The girl stood up, took a low stance, and spread her fans. She looked at the three men before her, challenging them. A fire blazed in the center of her dark eyes, raging wildly. Her will was an inferno. The three men roared, swarming her on all sides and swinging all at once like some three-headed beast.</p><p><em>Brother. Grandma Hatsu. Mother. Father. Konoha. </em>They flashed before her eyes and resonated in her heart. She yelled:</p><p>"I will not allow you to harm this village or any of the people in it!"</p><p>Then, a rush of wind, a cloud of dust, a sharp clink of metal, and silence.</p><p>"Nicely said."</p><p>As the dust cleared, Lee coughed, trying to expel it from her lungs.</p><p>A tall form stood in front of her. Her eyes were level with the calming green of his vest. A shinobi! A real shinobi. Lee stepped back and nearly fell to the ground in relief. The man glanced behind at her. The bottom half of his face was concealed by a dark blue mask, and another fourth by a Leaf headband drawn low over his left eye. The metal plate depicting the symbol of the village shone brightly, even in the fading light of dusk, despite scores of faint scratches accumulated from years of use. His hair was an impossibly messy mop of pure silver, its glittering strands sticking up in every direction, seemingly unaffected by gravity. Every strand seemed to move independent from the mass, as if it were lighter than air.</p><p>He leaned down close to her face, breaking her quiet reverie.</p><p>"You ok, there?" He asked gently. Before Lee could respond, her surroundings rushed back to her at the first sign of movement. The three men who had assaulted her were somehow nearly fifteen feet away, each struggling to get up or locate their weapon.</p><p>"Sorry if I'm a little late to the party" the man apologized, looking down at Kiji with a false smile.</p><p><em>White hair,</em> thought Kiji, eyes comically wide. <em>He can't be…</em></p><p>"I wish I'd gotten here earlier to save you from the 'little girl,' but I got a little distracted-Oh, I don't think so," he chuckled, jerking his wrist backward. Lee saw a white line flash through the air, and the three men fell to the ground again, feet snapped together by wire.</p><p><em>They were trying</em>, Lee realized, <em>to sneak off into the woods. They were just going to leave!</em> The silver-haired man seemed to be thinking along the same lines, as he narrowed his eye and spoke:</p><p>"Bandits, I dislike," he took a step toward them. "Men who hurt children, women, and the elderly, I detest." He walked slowly. "But men," he knelt before them now, his gaze dull but icy. -The men were scrambling to free their legs, though their hands shook uncontrollably-"who would abandon their comrades...Well, you're just lucky <em>I</em> don't get to decide your punishment." He pulled a thin rope from a bag at his hip and tied them to the base of a large tree.</p><p>Lee released a breath she hadn't known she was holding. <em>This atmosphere. Even when I knew I could die at any minute, it didn't feel like this. Is this what a real shinobi feels like? I know I'm safe now, so why do I feel so scared? Is this guy, maybe, someone really powerful?</em></p><p>Lee surveyed the area, feeling oddly numb. Jaku was still out cold. The man with the mattock was curled up, still holding his head. The man-boy with the broken arm was huddled by the stone bench, cradling his twisted limb and mumbling to himself. The axeman had fainted, the spear shaft, still embedded in his middle, extending upward like a flagpole. Kiji sat stubbornly, clutching the spearhead in his stomach and panting, sweating, and bleeding in equal measure.</p><p>
  <em>Did I really cause this much destruction?</em>
</p><p>She gasped.</p><p>"Grandma Hatsu!" she remembered, stumbling over to the door. As the adrenaline faded from her system, Lee felt the painful ache of exertion in muscles she didn't even know existed. She felt bruises forming and throbbing, and cuts stinging in the cool air. Her eyes stung from sweat and tears. "Grandma Hatsu, you can come out now!" she knocked loudly.</p><p>The silver-haired man walked around the area, tying up anyone he still considered a threat. Kiji ground out every insult he could think of through his sneering lips, but the man didn't spare him a glance. He walked the young man with the broken arm over to a tree and leaned him against it. He handed him a pill of some sort and, after some hesitation, the man-boy took it and was asleep in seconds.</p><p>When he was finished, the man walked over and pulled Lee away from the door calmly, holding her arms back. Her fists and palms were red from beating against it, and her eyes were wild and unfocused. He pushed her gently, but firmly onto the stone bench, where he crouched in front of her.</p><p>"Someone's in there?" he asked quietly. Lee opened her mouth, closed it, and nodded.</p><p>"Ok, I'm going to get us in there, but I need you to stay right here for now, ok?" Lee nodded again. The man tried the door, then went to check if the window was loose.</p><p>"She-she might be injured. One of the men kicked her and I-I pushed her pretty hard earlier," Lee admitted guiltily.</p><p>He looked back at her and gave her a warm, comforting look Lee wouldn't have thought him capable of. He walked over to her, crouched again, and put a hand on each of her shoulders. He looked her in the eye.</p><p>"You did brilliantly," he assured her. He gave her shoulders a squeeze, stood back up, and went back to the window. He pulled some wire out of his side pack and slipped it under the window. A few seconds later, Lee heard a sharp click and the man was sliding the window up. Her jaw slackened.</p><p><em>Ninjas, huh?</em> she thought, peering at him curiously as he slipped through the small window. Lee heard some rustling and the sound of objects being shifted about. The door opened. The man stood in the doorframe alone.</p><p>"Well," he started, "I think I know why these guys were here." He jabbed behind him with a thumb. Lee leaned forward, looking around him. There was a large hole in the floorboards. She stood up, eyes wide. She walked over to him and stared into the room with him.</p><p>"A trap door?" she asked.</p><p>"It would seem." Something clicked into place.</p><p>"Ah! This must be what he meant," Lee said and recounted all Jaku had told her.</p><p>"Huh. To think it was here the whole time. Well hopefully that means she's gone to get help. Guess we'll just wait," the man said, moving to lean against a wood beam near the bench. "Come sit down. My squad will probably turn up soon either way, so they can get prisoner transport if no one shows up."</p><p>Lee nodded and returned to the bench, stretching her stiff legs out in front of her. She looked to the side and up at him, then back to the ground. "Thank you," she said quietly. "If you hadn't come, I'd probably," she bit her lip, "I'd probably be dead. So thank you."</p><p>He looked down at her. "You're welcome," he said simply. Lee became overly aware of her breathing and how loud it seemed and how dry her mouth was and how stupid she had sounded. She blushed and glared at herself inwardly, though it looked outwardly as if she really hated a potato on the ground a few paces away. The man studied her for a second, then smiled a little and looked away.</p><p>"Do you mind," Lee asked, looking at him through the corner of her eye, then back at the potato, "if I ask your name?"</p><p>"Potato-san," the man said, in a completely serious (but decidedly not his own) voice. Lee's eyes bulged. After she overcame the incredulity, Lee let out something between a giggle and an awkward cough.</p><p>"And you?" she asked, looking at him directly, a shy smile playing on her lips.</p><p>"Kakashi. Kakashi Hatake," he said, staring too directly into her eyes. Lee nearly gasped.</p><p>
  <em>I thought it might've been, but...he is!</em>
</p><p>"And you?" he asked. The smile slipped off Lee's lips abruptly. She cursed herself for opening her mouth.</p><p><em>If my parents found out about this...</em>Lee looked down at herself for the first time, just realizing that every discomfort she felt was reflected two-fold on her flesh and clothing. Her sensu were thrown carelessly in the dirt, both bloodied and frayed or torn. <em>I don't think "I fell" is going to cut it this time.</em></p><p>"Lee," she decided. It was better than revealing her whole name. <em>It's a common enough name, at least.</em> If the man, if Hatake-san thought it was odd she only gave her surname, he didn't voice it aloud.</p><p>"So, Lee-san," he began, casually. "Where'd you learn to...uhh," he gestured at the men, searching for the right word, "decimate?" Lee looked around.</p><p>"I mean, I...," she blushed, staring at her hands, "<em>played ninja </em>with my older brother when we were younger. But this," she gestured as he had, "it just kind of happened. I'm not strong or good at fighting or anything. I'm really quite weak. I just got lucky. And they weren't very bright.</p><p>"And Grandma Hatsu. She-she helped." There was an awkward silence at the mention of the old woman. Kakashi stared into the house darkly. "I told her to. To lock herself up in there. That I had a plan. I really didn't," she admitted, "But I told her to go. I didn't know about the tunnel, obviously."</p><p>Kakashi said nothing.</p><p>"What happened here, exactly? Do you live out here with her?" he asked, finally.</p><p>"No. I just visit sometimes. To see her and help out. I used to come here a lot, when I was little. My brother and I...This place, these mountains, it's where we made our fondest memories. I'm not exactly supposed to be here. My parents don't like when I-" she cut herself off.</p><p>"Anyway, Grandma Hatsu sent me away all of a sudden. But I forgot my sensu," she pointed at them, "so I came back. And these men were here. She told me to leave, but I couldn't. I wasn't trying to be brave, or anything," Lee said defensively. "I just couldn't leave her. So I tried to protect her. But that big man over there-," she pointed, "his name's Jaku-he attacked us and I had to fight him. I sent Grandma inside, and I managed to take him down. And then that guy, Kiji, attacked me. I didn't mean to really hurt them, I swear. They said the person who hired them was going to do horrible things to my family and the village. I was really scared. So I fought. I know it was wrong to hurt them like that. They were just so much stronger than me so I knew I couldn't just-" In one smooth motion, Kakashi had covered her mouth with his hand and was crouched in front of her once again. Her mouth kept moving for a second, before it snapped shut. He removed his hand slowly, then placed both hands on her knees. He sat all the way down with a quiet thump.</p><p>"I just asked what happened. You don't need to defend yourself to anyone. I'm really sorry you had to go through that all alone," his soft tone grew harsh on the last two words. "I wish I'd gotten here sooner. You've seen a lot of really scary things today. But you're safe now, ok? No one's going to hurt you or your family. I promise you: I won't let them.</p><p>"Lee-san, you fought bravely. You're clever and strong. So don't think poorly of yourself. None of these men are dead." The unspoken "not yet, anyway" hung in the air. "You did really, really well. And there are lots of really kind, understanding people who are going to help you get through this. And if you ever need to talk, few people will understand how you feel right now as well as I do. You can ask me anything, any time. Ok?" He gave her knees a pat and stood back up, stretching his arms overhead and yawning. The moon was glowing brightly now.</p><p><em>Where did those three go?</em> he wondered.</p><p>Lee smiled a little and nodded, feeling suddenly warm and safe, even as the mountain air grew colder.</p><p>
  <em>Kakashi Hatake, huh? Brother said his sensei always described you as cool and aloof. A really powerful ninja that knows a thousand jutsu, who can summon a blade of pure lightning, who can predict his opponents' moves so quickly he seems to read their minds. But you seem like a really warm person, after all. If only my parents would say words like those. I hope I can be like you someday, Hatake-san.</em>
</p><p>"Excuse me for a second," Kakashi said, peeling himself away from the beam he'd returned to leaning against. Lee watched as he turned around the corner of the house, raising a hand to his ear.</p><p>"Hey, what are you three doing?" Lee heard him whisper, clearly irritated. She tilted her head, listening hard. "After all that, you lost it?" He sighed. "Alright, well head this way. There's a clearing northwest of where I left you. Ok, I'll see you in a minute, Naruto. Sakura, you catch up. Sasuke, I want you to head back to the village, and be quick about it. I thought someone was sending help, but apparently not. We need a prison transport team and a couple of medical ninja. There was a pretty bad fight. No one important. Yeah, I'll tell you about it later. Kakashi out."</p><p>He took a deep breath and returned to Lee.</p><p>"Just had to touch base with my squad. You haven't seen a cat around here lately, have you?" Lee shook her head, confused. He sighed again. "Didn't think so. Well, nothing we can do about it now." He stretched again, then sat down next to her on the bench. Lee fidgeted uncomfortably. Kakashi reached into the pouch on his side and pulled out a smaller bag. He handed it to her. She took it slowly, then opened it.</p><p>
  <em>Nuts?</em>
</p><p>"It's not much, but this all might take a while. You're going to want some food in your system." He went into the house and came out with a bamboo cup of water. He handed it to her and sat back down.</p><p><em>He's so...nice. </em>Lee almost cried. As she drank and ate, her throat stung and her jaw felt ill-equipped for the task. She set the cup down and chewed slower and slower. She was overwhelmed with sleepiness. She looked at him, concerned.</p><p>"Hatake-san, is there something in this?" she asked, trying not to sound accusatory.</p><p>"Nothing at all," he assured her, with a little twinkle in his eye. "You're just finally starting to relax a little," he explained, slightly teasingly. Lee nodded and yawned simultaneously. She stretched, wincing when the motion stretched a few cuts. She brought her arms back down slowly. She tapped her feet on the ground, nodding her head from one side to the next. She yawned again, covering her mouth with a hand. The men all seemed asleep, and Kiji had passed out. Lee felt strangely detached as she looked at them. This felt like a different world entirely to the one where she was struggling for her life. She thought of her brother, and the lessons he'd recited to her.</p><p><em>Maybe it was all just a genjutsu</em>, Lee mused, though she didn't actually believe it for a second. She snuck a look at Kakashi, but blushed when she made eye contact, and looked away quickly. Kakashi chuckled in the way only adults could and turned away, propping his elbows up on his knees and resting his chin on his hands. He looked at her again out of the corner of his eye, and Lee imagined he looked rather cheeky under that mask.</p><p>"I think I've earned the right to be a little tired." This time he laughed outright, the sound almost like a bark, and his eye formed a cheery crescent above his cheek.</p><p>"I think you have, too," he nudged her with a shoulder. A bright smile stretched across Lee's face; she felt like a little kid who'd been let in on an adult's secret. She nudged him back lightly, then scooted back on the bench and brought her knees to her chest. She wrapped her arms around them and rested her head with a final yawn. She fell asleep instantly.</p>
<hr/><p>Well, there it is! Let me know what you though about the content, the formatting (are my paragraphs too long?), the characters...About just how great Kakashi is with older kids. I love that man. I'm hoping to make this a very feedback-oriented fic once it gets rolling, so let's open up for discourse!</p><p>Look out for the next chapter: The Hospital</p><p>This Wednesday (July 1,2020)</p><p>And let me know what day you like updates. I know Sat. and Sun. are popular reading days, but Wednesday is my favorite day of the week. I guess I could write Wednesday and post on the weekend. Let me know.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The Hospital (Part 1)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Thanks to everyone who's read so far and for all kudos! So happy to see some people interested in my fic.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Chapter 3: The Hospital</p>
<hr/>
<p>Lee woke with a start. Voices swirled around her, quick steps echoed in the cool night, and too-bright lights were flickering on throughout the clearing. Kakashi was no longer at her side, but deep in conversation with two ninjas, one garbed in white with a mask over her face.</p>
<p>
  <em>Medical ninja.</em>
</p>
<p>There were three more ninja, only one in the same white as the woman. This man seemed to be ordering the two ninja about, snapping at them frequently as they struggled to get the axeman (the spear shaft had been removed) onto a stretcher without increasing the severity of his wound. The three men Kakashi had tied to the tree were nowhere to be seen.</p>
<p><em>Someone must have already transported them,</em> thought Lee. <em>How long have I been asleep?</em></p>
<p>Lee slowly began to disentangle her limbs, holding in a groan. She lowered her legs to the ground gradually, stretching them out as best as she could with her trembling hamstrings. Her butt went numb and pins and needles blazed down her legs like a cool fire. Her arms felt oddly heavy, and as she tried to straighten her back, her neck failed to support her head properly. It took her at least a minute to get to her feet, and even then, she was not steady by any means. She attempted a few stretches, but she was too dizzy and too unstable. There was a stabbing pain behind her forehead, and the lights made it nigh unbearable. She felt, she thought, the worst she ever had and ever could.</p>
<p>"Lee-san?" called a high, grating voice. Lee blinked at the white figure moving closer. The clothes reflected the stand light so brightly they might have been worse than the original source.</p>
<p>"Yes?" Lee answered hoarsely. Her voice sounded strangely foreign and very distant.</p>
<p>"How are you feeling?" Lee opened her mouth to assure the woman she was perfectly fine, but she swayed slightly and one of her knees gave out for a second. Though she caught herself, Lee heard and felt her heart slamming itself against her chest. Preparing for a fight.</p>
<p>"I—I'm feeling quite poorly," she said. "My head hurts and my limbs are all stiff or numb or tingly. Though I fell asleep in a weird position, so I imagine that's the main issue. Other than that, just some cuts and bruises."</p>
<p>The woman narrowed her eyes and scanned Lee's body systematically, unconvinced.</p>
<p>"You've spoken with Kakashi already, correct? His squad is here. Two of them are going to take you to the hospital. Their names are Naruto," she pointed at a small, blond boy, "and Sakura," she pointed at a taller, pretty girl with pink hair. They looked very young, <em>But</em>, Lee thought, <em>not much younger than Brother.</em></p>
<p>"You're going to be spending the night at the hospital," the woman continued, speaking loudly and clearly. "They will contact your family. You won't have to give a statement until you're ready to, and it will only be to confirm your story with the prisoners', because you've already spoken to Hatake-san. He and his team will be responsible for guarding you until we're certain there is no threat. Do you understand?" Lee nodded slowly, knowing there was no chance of arguing with this woman.</p>
<p>"Ok. Follow me. Mind the cords." Lee looked down and there were, in fact, thick black cords all over the clearing, connecting the blinding lights. It was a strange sight to see their unnatural, shiny black winding across the rural farm like giant snakes. Lee picked her way over carefully, keeping her eyes lowered and ignoring a throbbing behind her temple.</p>
<p>"Naruto, Sakura, please escort Lee-san to the hospital." Lee missed what they said in response, as she looked around for where Kakashi had gone. He was helping the ninja lower another man onto a stretcher. As if he felt her gaze, he looked up, caught her eye, and either shot her a wink or blinked, before returning to focus on his task.</p>
<p>Even knowing that her brother was a perfectly capable ninja in spite of his age, Lee couldn't help but wonder how useful the two genin would be if they were attacked. She would have preferred one of these serious-looking ninjas, or better, Kakashi, who had sworn he'd protect her. She gazed at his back dejectedly. She didn't want to go. To have someone call her parents. To have to face them without backup. For once, she felt like a grownup was on her side, and she was reluctant to leave him.</p>
<p><em>They would listen to him, </em>Lee thought, looking at the bright silver hair, practically white in the synthetic lighting. <em>He's important. People know who he is. And he thinks I was brave. He could tell them that. How could they say I was "unladylike" if Kakashi Hatake said I was brave?</em></p>
<p>Hearing her name called, Lee turned back to the genin. She half-listened as they talked to her. The pink-haired girl gave her an encouraging smile, and the blond thumped her on the back hard and grinned. She smiled back weakly, pretending he hadn't just almost knocked her over. The boy bent down in front of her and told her to get on his back. Before she could, the pink-haired girl kicked him out of the way, sending him flying. Lee snapped out of her daze.</p>
<p><em>What the-? What just happened? They're going to fight?</em> Lee felt a rush of blood swish through her head, and the throbbing behind her forehead beat louder than her heart. Her breath quickened. <em>What are they fighting for? I thought they were on the same squad? What do I do?</em></p>
<p>"She's had a hard enough time without having to deal with you, Naruto! I'll take care of her, and you just keep an eye out for any more bandits? Got it?" she said bossily, holding a finger out warningly. The boy rubbed his bottom, shooting the girl a dirty look.</p>
<p>"What the hell'd you do that for?"</p>
<p>"I'm not letting you grab some innocent girl's butt, you pervert!"</p>
<p>"I wasn't gonna grab her butt! And did you see what she did to those guys? She might be scarier than you, Sakura-chan. I'm not getting on her bad side," Naruto laughed. Sakura growled angrily and kicked him in the shin.</p>
<p>"OW!" He hopped around, hugging his knee to his chest. "And what was that for!"</p>
<p>"For being an idiot!" Sakura yelled back, but to Lee, it sounded like a whisper from far, far away.</p>
<p>Lee fell over sideways in slow motion, black spots popping up one at a time until they consumed her vision. Two glowing yellow orbs floated in the dark, before blinking out of existence.</p>
<hr/>
<p>For the second time, Lee woke with a start, heart racing and sweaty fingers clutching at the sheets.</p>
<p><em>Sheets? Oh right, the hospital.</em> She sat up and looked down at her arms. They were cleaned and any major cuts were bandaged. Her hands, too, were clean, but they were still stained pink from blood. Lee wondered if her hands would ever feel clean again, but she pushed the thought resolutely from her mind and devoted her focus outward.</p>
<p><em>So this is it. The hospital. The Hospital. </em>She looked around the room. The walls were a pale blue-green, with wood paneling along the bottom painted in the same weak shade. Her bed had sterile white sheets and a very industrial-looking wire frame. When she shifted slightly, the bed creaked below her, alarming her. She supposed compared to a futon, a bed must be more practical if patients had mobility issues, and it also doubled as seating. She wondered how sturdy it was, and if people often fell out.</p>
<p>There were two more beds in the room, hers being directly next to the window. Both beds were empty, which Lee was thankful for. By each, light blue curtains hung from tracks set into the ceiling.</p>
<p><em>I guess you can completely close off a bed from the room that way, </em>Lee thought, examining the tracks above the perimeter of her own bed. <em>That's actually really clever.</em></p>
<p>It all looked so strange to Lee. The building was old, yes. Maybe as old as her own home. But it was so full of new things. Lee had only left the Old Konoha district a handful of times in her 12 years, and, on those occasions, she had left the village entirely to meet with noble families her parents wanted to marry her off to. She smiled, remembering the chaos her brother and she had caused to make her seem as unappealing as possible.</p>
<p>The door slid open, interrupting her thoughts.</p>
<p>"Oh hey! You finally up?" a boy asked, ducking into the room. "I was just in the bathroom. I've been here for ages. You were totally zonked out!" he grinned widely, his teeth shining brightly. "Did you know you snore?"</p>
<p>Lee shook her head slowly, blushing and looking to the side.</p>
<p>"So how do ya feel, Lee-chan?"</p>
<p>
  <em>L-Lee-chan? We only just met. He's so forward.</em>
</p>
<p>"Better, I think," she said quietly. "Thank you for asking."</p>
<p>Naruto walked over to the large window near the bed and peered out for a second.</p>
<p>"You did really well out there, Lee-chan. Kakashi-sensei said you took out over half those big guys by yourself. Ever thought of being a ninja?"</p>
<p>"T-that's...Something like that isn't possible for someone like me." The boy gave her a weird look.</p>
<p>"What do you mean 'for someone like me'? You seem tough enough. Though there's a lot more to being an awesome ninja than being tough!" he grinned again and checked to make sure his headband was centered.</p>
<p>"Oh! Grandma Hatsu. Please, is she ok?"</p>
<p>"That old lady? She's just fine. A couple of bruises, but nothing serious. There was a tunnel to the village right under her floor! Can you believe that?"</p>
<p>"And my parents?" Lee inquired, nervously.</p>
<p>"Your parents were there? I didn't hear anything about them…"</p>
<p>"Do they know? That I'm here? About the bandits"</p>
<p>"Well, uh…The thing is...We didn't know your name and no one had seen you before. That old lady said it wasn't her place to say, or something like that. But now that you're awake, we can let them know where you are right away! They must be really worried."</p>
<p>"No, no. It's fine. It's better this way. Where are my clothes? I need to leave now." She made to get up.</p>
<p>"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" A long shadow was stretched out into the room, blocking much of the light from the window. "Hold your horses, there." Kakashi said, hopping down from the window sill, a bag in one hand. "You're not going anywhere in that state."</p>
<p>Lee put a hand to her heart and took a deep breath.</p>
<p>"Did I startle you?" he laughed easily, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "This way's much more direct." Kakashi tilted his chin back at the window behind him.</p>
<p>"Where the hell have you been, Kakashi-sensei? I have places to be, y'know!" Naruto complained.</p>
<p>"Well I was helping this little old lady cross the road, but then she needed help bringing her bags inside. And while I was there, she asked if I could help her put the groceries away. And before I knew it, one o'clock had come and gone! But she offered me these in thank you." He held up the bag and put on his best apologetic face.</p>
<p><em>Yeah, right. He was probably just reading one of his dirty books,</em> thought Naruto.</p>
<p>"Yeah, well I have ramen with Iruka-sensei, so I'm outta here. See ya 'round, Lee-chan!" Naruto jumped out the window behind Kakashi with a quick wave. Lee watched him speed from roof to roof.</p>
<p><em>And then there were two,</em> Kakashi thought, looking over at Lee.</p>
<p>The liveliness of the mountain seemed to have been sucked out of her, leaving something between a nervous teenager and a lifeless sack of potatoes in her bed.</p>
<p>He reached into the bag by his side and pulled out a shiny red apple, "Hungry?" Her eyes locked onto it sharply, but then she looked down dumbly. Kakashi had a feeling, based on Naruto's casual exit, that the girl had been much more at ease around him. He silently envied the boy's ability to draw words, for better or worse, from virtually anyone in his vicinity.</p>
<p>Kakashi half-sat on the window sill, pulled out a pocket knife, and began peeling the apple carefully. They sat in oppressive silence as he worked. He set the knife down and held up the continuous peel. He bounced it in the air a few times, mildly amused by the makeshift spring. He snuck a glance at her and was certain he'd caught the beginnings of a smile hidden in the right corner of her lips. He smirked to himself. He threw the peel out the window for the birds, which appeared as instantly as if they'd been summoned.</p>
<p>"You've been asleep a full day, you must be starving." He sliced the apple and tossed the core out behind him without a glance, where it landed neatly in the center of the ring of birds. Not missing a beat, he offered her a slice, which she took without thinking. He snuck a glance and saw the cogs of her brain turning wildly, trying to calculate whether his throw had been planned or coincidental. He found himself disproportionately proud of his dramatics.</p>
<p>Before half the slice was gone, he offered another, which she took without protest.</p>
<p>"Milk?" he asked, pulling a small carton up. The girl looked around for a glass, then back at him. He snapped and, with a small poof of smoke, a glass appeared in his hand. He saw her eyes go wide and her jaw slacken marginally. He smiled underneath his mask. He had her now.</p>
<p>She drank the milk quietly, ate every apple slice he offered, and in minutes her glass and hands sat empty, and her eyes looked much brighter. He hummed to himself, looking out the window and around the room, bored. She had to come to him, after all.</p>
<p>"So you're the Kakashi Hatake?" she asked looking down at her hands, emboldened by her sated hunger. His eyebrow rose.</p>
<p>"Have we…met before yesterday?"</p>
<p>She shook her head, then looked up with a faint smile. "I thought you'd be a bit taller. And more…burly, I guess."</p>
<p>He hummed again. "Sorry to disappoint." He looked at the window sulkily</p>
<p>"Sorry. I've heard a lot about you, you see," she continued.</p>
<p>He hummed again, watching two birds bickering over the apple core.</p>
<p>"I owe you my life, Kakashi Hatake." His head snapped back to her. She shifted out from under the sheets and onto her knees. "As well as my gratitude." She bowed low, her arms folded before her. "I am in your debt."</p>
<p>He laughed modestly, scratching his head again. "It's a part of the job. Besides, you were doing my job for me. Protecting civilians and the village from those men."</p>
<p>"Nonetheless, I owe you my life," her eyes locked onto his as she pulled herself up halfway. "Anything within my power, I will grant." She sat back on her heels.</p>
<p>He thought for a moment, pulling himself away from the window sill. He leaned over the bed. His sleeve wiped a smudge of dirt the nurse had missed from her nose. He crouched, putting himself at face level. She looked at him curiously.</p>
<p>"A smile, then." He said cheerfully, eyes crinkling and head tilted to the side. He rested his elbows on the bed, and then his chin on his stacked hands, and waited patiently.</p>
<p>"A...smile?" Lee asked, puzzled.</p>
<p>"Mm hm. Brighten my day. I've done so much paperwork and I need a pick-me-up."</p>
<p>She pondered it for a minute, eyes wandering his face quizzically. Or what she could see of it, rather. Then her lips parted and she gave Kakashi Hatake the most brilliant smile he had ever seen. He couldn't help but smile back under his mask.</p>
<p><em>As long as there are still children smiling brightly in this village, </em>Kakashi thought, <em>even if it's tiring, I can't help but protect this place.</em></p>
<p>Even as the smile faded, Kakashi thought the girl looked a lot happier, brighter, and more alive.</p>
<p>A smile was a powerful thing, after all.</p>
<hr/>
<p>So I've decided to separate "The Hospital" into two parts. I had a busier day than expected, and I don't want to rush it. Plus, this felt like a good point to end a chapter.</p>
<p>BUT, I'm going to update on Sunday with the next part, instead of waiting until next Wednesday.</p>
<p>Look forward to "Chapter 4: The Hospital - Part 2" on Sunday, July 5th!</p>
<p>Hope all my American readers have a safe but fun 4th of July!</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. The Hospital (Part 2)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sorry for the late hour, but I said I'd get this up today, and I did. My poor dogs have been having a hard time with all the fireworks for 4th of July. :( Thank everyone so much for all the kudos and continued interest, and thank you to Shadow nao for your encouraging comment!</p><p>Chapter 4: The Hospital (Part 2)</p><hr/><p><em>Now that Hatake-san is here,</em> Lee thought glumly, <em>my chances of making a great escape are next to zero. </em>As the minutes ticked by, Lee brainstormed many possible solutions, but eventually decided that any attempt to deceive or manipulate a jonin would fail miserably.</p><p>"Hatake-san," Lee called.</p><p>He looked up over his book, the cover of which showed a man chasing after a woman in a short dress.</p><p>"Hmm?"</p><p>"Is there any way we could keep this whole fiasco a secret from my family. They just-It wouldn't be good, Hatake-san." Kakashi sighed heavily and shut his book, setting it down on the side table by her bed.</p><p>"I will put in my best word with the Hokage." He did not sound optimistic. "How would you explain it to them?"</p><p>Lee shook her head, wringing her hands.</p><p>"I don't know. The Lee family is very old and very proud. Even as our money has dwindled through the years, my parents have refused to work, saying it was unbecoming of a noble. In their eyes, a successful marriage for me is their only way to survive. And here I went and trashed my body defending someone they don't particularly like and a village they resent for moving forward without them."</p><p>"Grandma Hatsu is your mother's mother?" Kakashi asked curiously.</p><p>"No, Grandma Hatsu was a close friend of my Grandma Lee. My parents used to be much more active socially, so they would send my brother and I off to Grandma Hatsu when they went on trips or left for the day."</p><p>"Maybe we could speak with your brother first. How old is he?"</p><p>"He's only 13. But he lives alone. His relationship with our parents is tenuous at best. He won't be able to do anything for me."</p><p>"He lives alone? At that age?" Kakashi asked, surprised.</p><p>"Well he's a ninja and can afford it, just barely. Once you become a ninja, you earn the right to live alone if your family life affects your ability to do your job. Though I imagine you knew that already.</p><p>"I'd stay with him, but he's off on a mission. And my parents could just contact the police and have me brought home. And," Lee shook her head and smiled ruefully, "I've just told a ninja about that plan, so it's useless anyway."</p><p>Kakashi tipped his headband in apology.</p><p>"And," Lee realized aloud, "now you know a 13-year-old ninja with the surname Lee is my brother, so even without my given name, you can track my family down easily."</p><p>"Sorry."</p><p>Lee laughed.</p><p>"I never thought I was talkative, but perhaps conversing exclusively with my mother isn't so inspiring."</p><p>"What will they do?" Kakashi asked, solemnly.</p><p>Lee tilted her head.</p><p>"Your parents."</p><p>She opened her mouth in a silent "ah", then bit her lip.</p><p>"Nothing particularly violent, I expect. They wouldn't want to damage me further. But what little freedom I have," Lee looked at the birds snatching up the last of the apple. She settled back in the bed and stared at the ceiling.</p><p>As the silence stretched longer, Kakashi contemplated grabbing his book. It would be rude. It would be inconsiderate. She had nothing to do or read.</p><p><em>I'm guarding her, not babysitting or hanging out. It's not my job to entertain her. But then, </em>Kakashi sweatdropped, <em>most guards wouldn't be reading on the job, now would they? Still, </em>he looked at the book longingly. His favorite chapter was next. It was so good. So tempting. He started to sweat, eyes darting between the troubled girl and the literary masterpiece. He wiped his brows, reaching under his headband to get to the left. Just as he started to reach for the book, the door slid open.</p><p><em>Sakura-chan? Is it that late already?</em> He looked outside, where the sun still shone brightly.</p><p>"Kakashi-sensei, the Hokage wants to speak with you regarding the tunnel. I'm here to take over," the pink-haired girl said. "I have your lunch too, Lee-san," Sakura added with a smile, holding a basket aloft. "My mother heard I was going to be guarding you, and she sent me off with lunch for the both of us."</p><p>Lee looked at her blankly. She hadn't registered it the other night. But right there. In front of her.</p><p><em>A real kunoichi!</em> Lee sat at attention, eyes blazing.</p><p>"I will never forget her kindness! And yours as well. Forgive me, but I can't recall your name from the other night. I am Mizuchi Lee," said Lee, her voice clear and loud.</p><p>"Sakura. Sakura Haruno. Nice to meet you," the girl smiled sweetly, her long hair flowing about her like the branches of a cherry blossom.</p><p>"Sakura Haruno-san," murmured Lee, testing the name in her mouth. "What a beautiful name you have!" She smiled brightly at the taller girl. Sakura blushed, evidently pleased.</p><p>"Yours is nice too!" replied Sakura, glowing. The two girls giggled happily. Lee's cheeks were pink from mirth and her eyes were wide and admiring. She stared at Sakura often and directly. A complete 180 from her interactions with Kakashi.</p><p>Kakashi sighed and stood up, rubbing the side of his head. <em>Well I guess I'm not needed. Apparently </em>I <em>was the awkward one. </em>He leapt onto the windowsill, glanced behind him at the girls, now chatting away animatedly. He half-waved, but when neither noticed, he slipped out and took off.</p><p><em>Could it be, </em>Kakashi wondered, as he flew from one rooftop to the next, <em>that she </em>really<em> dislikes me? Or maybe this is-! No, it can't be. That only happens in books. But maybe…" </em>He blushed, trying to shake the thought from his head. <em>Love...at first sight? But Sakura loves Sasuke. It can never be. </em>He sped up, almost overshooting the Hokage's office entirely. <em>Ah, to be young and in love. Poor Lee-san.</em></p><hr/><p>"Hey Haruno-san," Lee said, during a lull in conversation.</p><p>"Yes, Lee-san?" Sakura replied, from where she sat on the bed beside Lee's.</p><p>"Why did you hit your teammate?" Lee asked timidly, hoping she wouldn't offend the other girl.</p><p>"Huh? Oh, you mean Naruto? He's a total loser and can't do anything right. Well, he's not totally useless. He can be strong. And brave," Sakura added, as an afterthought.</p><p>"But why would you kick him for those reasons?"</p><p>"Well I was just punishing him in advance, I guess." Sakura said. "Which, I suppose, probably isn't fair," she sighed. "He just really gets under my skin, you know? And so I get angry just by looking at him. He doesn't even have to do anything and I'm mad."</p><p>"Do you," Lee started carefully, "resent him for anything?"</p><p>"Resent him…" Sakura thought for a minute. A cloud drifted over the sun, and Sakura's hair and eyes faded with the light of the room. "I guess I'm jealous," she admitted. The cloud passed.</p><p>"Jealous?"</p><p>"He's better than me." Sakura clenched the handle of the basket in her lap.</p><p>"Better than you?" Sakura nodded.</p><p>"We went on a mission recently. With our other team member and Kakashi-sensei. And I was really useless. Even though I had the highest grades in the Academy, and Naruto had the lowest. Even though my chakra control is better than his and Sasuke's combined. I couldn't do anything. I just had to stand there and watch the people I care about get hurt, while I protected our client."</p><p>"You protected the client?"</p><p>"Well I stood in front of him, anyway."</p><p>"Your comrades took the offense, but your job was to<em> defend</em> the client, wasn't it?" Sakura nodded. "And you did defend him. You became a ninja to be a ninja, not to fight well, right? To charge off and fight is much easier than standing still when the people you care for are in danger, Haruno-san."</p><p>Sakura smiled, wiping a tear away.</p><p>"You sound like my mother."</p><p>"I suppose there are advantages to talking to no one but your mother," Lee laughed.</p><p>"I hope that we get to talk again, Lee-san. After today."</p><p>Lee sobered.</p><p>"I do too."</p><hr/><p>At 6-o'clock, the door slid open once again.</p><p>"Hey."</p><p>Sakura and Lee looked at the dark haired boy in the doorway. Sakura had moved over to Lee's bed, where they both sat cross-legged.</p><p><em>She's supposed to be guarding her, not making a new best friend. </em>Sasuke rolled his eyes.</p><p>"You're off duty, Sakura. Go home. Someone will let you know if you need to come back in the morning."</p><p>"Haruno-san," Lee called as the pink-haired girl stepped out of the room. Sakura looked back at her. Lee gave her the thumbs-up. "I'm rooting for you!" Sakura turned as pink as her hair, and, with a nervous peek at Sasuke, disappeared.</p><p>"These are for you." He dropped a fabric bundle on the bed next to her. "Kakashi was too busy to bring them himself. He said you can keep them."</p><p>Lee unwrapped the bundle.</p><p><em>Books?</em> She started inspecting them curiously. <em>Maybe he realized I want to learn more about shinobi...</em> She grew more and more disappointed with every back she skimmed. <em>These are all romance novels and relationship advice! </em>One-sided Love: A Guide to Survival<em>? That's not the kind of survival I'm looking for, Hatake-san. Not all girls are interested in those things.</em></p><p>Meanwhile, Sasuke performed an exhaustive inspection of the room. When he was satisfied with its security, he moved to the window. He divided the view into quadrants, and began the first of many cycles of methodical scanning.</p><p>After a few minutes boring a hole in the back of Sasuke's head, waiting for him to say something, Lee gave up and returned to her new books.</p><p>She cracked open a small red book. After 30 seconds of reading, Lee cringed and set the book aside. <em>Well not that one. </em>She moved onto the next, this time skipping straight to the middle.</p><p>
  <em>Haru smiled softly, taking the girl's petite hand in his own and laying a feathery kiss on her soft flesh. "Until we meet again."</em>
</p><p>Lee gagged.</p><p><em>Surely they can't </em>all<em> be like this...Why would Hatake-san ever think I would enjoy something like this? Well, he doesn't know much about me, after all. The thought was nice.</em></p><p>A few minutes later, one book lay draped across Lee's lap: her last hope. She turned to the first page. Then the next. And the next. <em>This is...a romance between shinobi of opposing villages. There has to be something useful here! </em>Lee rejoiced inwardly and eagerly devoured the book's contents, only noticing the passage of time when the room grew too dark to read, only to suddenly burst with overhead light. The book's white pages dazzled her for a second. She chanced a glance at Sasuke, who was utterly unphased. Oil was the most urban addition to her own home; this cool light surrounding her felt unnatural and shocked her senses.</p><p>Shortly after, Lee returned to her book and was soon immersed. For a romance novel, it was quite compelling and full of action and interesting tid-bits about the life of a ninja.</p><p>"Well, hello there!" said a familiar voice. Lee practically jumped out of her skin and actually did jump out of the bed, falling onto the ground, with her legs still tangled in the sheets on top of the bed. She looked up at Kakashi, who had been leaning over her when he spoke. Without his shadow, Lee had not noticed his entrance at all.</p><p>"Oops. Sorry, Lee-san! I didn't mean to startle you. Maybe the door is the way to go, after all...I just hate exchanging pleasantries with every nurse in the building to get here," Kakashi explained, as he helped her detangle herself. He picked up the books, half of which had fallen onto the ground with her. "I see Sasuke got the books I sent to you. I hope you found them helpful."</p><p>
  <em>Why would romance novels and magazines be helpful?</em>
</p><p>"It was...a very kind gesture," she responded, choosing her words carefully. "This one, I found interesting," Lee said, holding up the small book. Kakashi recoiled, but kept his gaze trained on the book.</p><p><em>That book isn't for kids! This isn't like Sasuke. I gave him a very specific list! </em>Kakashi watched the girl flipping through to her page, which she folded the book jacket into to mark it.</p><p>"Sasuke," he said as casually as possible, "did you pick those books up yourself? From my apartment?" A twitch of the eyebrow was the only evidence of his displeasure.</p><p>"Hmm? No. I had Naruto pick them up for me so I could take a shower after we sparred. Why?"</p><p>"Oh, no reason." <em>That knucklehead. Just wait until training tomorrow, Naruto. In fact, wait three hours while I catch up on my reading. Maybe I should tell Sakura and Sasuke to just not show up…</em></p><p>"Alright, Sasuke, you head home. I'm going to stay overnight. Remember we have training at 7 tomorrow.</p><p><em>Well see you at 9, then, </em>thought Sasuke. "Alright," he said instead, walking over to the door. He stopped at the exit. "Bye."</p><p>"Thank you," Lee called after him.</p><p><em>Hmm…</em>Kakashi thought, leaning against the wall and staring at the book, which Lee's hand rested lightly on top of. <em>Judging by how far she's gotten, there shouldn't have been anything too indecent. But I have to get that book back before it's too late. What do I say? 'I haven't finished that one yet'? No. Then she'll know I've read all of these. </em>He cringed inwardly.</p><p><em>First the cat. Now this. This team can't even pick up a stack of books without something going wrong. I need to have a meeting with the other jonin. I thought things were finally coming together when Naruto and Sasuke worked together to defeat Haku, but now Sakura's lost all her confidence and Naruto thinks he's invincible. At least Sasuke's been a bit more trusting with Naruto. Even if his trust is misplaced, </em>Kakashi thought, glaring at the book.<em> Ugh. I might just be the worst sensei ever.</em></p><p>"So, Lee-san. Have you checked out any of the other books? I've heard this one is really popular with girls your age," he said, holding up the red one enticingly.</p><p>"Umm...I think I-l'll stick with this one for now, thank you."</p><p>"Are you sure? That one doesn't have great reviews. I think Naruto picked it up by mistake."</p><p>"Really? Well I'm enjoying it. There's been some really cool fight scenes. I think the male protagonist uses a taijutsu style similar to my brother's."</p><p>'<em>Really cool fight scenes'? Did she really just say that? Is this not the very same book that wrenched my heart out with its gripping depiction of war-torn lovers? Does she not see how much pain Yoshiro is in, when he thinks Asami is betrothed to the Kazekage's general, who killed his older brother? Shouldn't she already know that the general is actually Yoshiro's evil half-brother, who has infiltrated the Land of Wind using an irreversible transformation jutsu and turning on his own country because he, too, cannot bear to be apart from Asami, who doesn't even know he exists? Does she not see the anguish of Yoshiro's mother, as the war tears her family apart? And she says it has 'really cool fight scenes'. </em>He shook his head in disbelief.</p><p><em>I'm going to have to distract her, then steal it when she's asleep, </em>Kakashi decided. <em>She has plenty of excellent books to choose from. Ones that aren't…" </em>Kakashi pictured the red 16+ logo on the back. <em>She should have seen that and realized it was a mistake. I thought for sure she would want to read the book on one-sided love. Maybe I read the signs wrong. Or maybe...Sakura told her about Sasuke, and she can't bear to think about it! And I just rubbed her face in it by giving her that book, so she rebelled by reading this scandalous novel. Oh Lee-san. What a difficult age. And life will only grow more difficult as you blossom into the beautiful flower you were always meant to be. Oh to be young again! </em>thought the 27-year-old man.</p><p>Lee watched Kakashi's blank face and wondered what he was thinking about. <em>He's probably thinking about his conversation with the Hokage earlier, or about how best to defend the village. Or maybe he's mentally training, like Brother used to do. Even at this hour, when others have gone home to their families, Hatake-san is still working hard. I wonder if he often works night shifts. And he has to train his squad so early in the morning. Truly an elite jonin! What an inspiration. I must work harder too!</em></p><p>"Hatake-san," Lee said quietly, waiting a minute for him to finish his thought, "when can I leave the hospital? I truly feel fine."</p><p>Kakashi hmmed.</p><p>"Well let me think. The Hokage isn't overly concerned for your safety anymore. I helped secure the tunnel earlier, and there are several teams patrolling the area around Hatsu-san's home and searching for new leads. Your parents expressed the desire you be returned home immediately," he said, giving her an apologetic look. "I tried, Lee-san. I really did. But there are laws in place that dictate how we handle situations like these, and even the Hokage must abide by them."</p><p>Lee nodded, and a mask of complete calm fell over her. Her shoulders sloped downward, her eyes softened, and her jaw grew loose instead of tight.</p><p>"They wanted you back immediately. I told them we wanted to confirm your mental well-being before returning you. So if you want to stay here longer, I can even prevent them from visiting, if only for a few days."</p><p>"You spoke with them directly?" Lee asked, surprised. Kakashi nodded in response.</p><p>"And I told them you were very brave and strong, that you would make an excellent shinobi, and that they did an admirable job raising you," he said, his eye twinkling with amusement. "They were furious. I'm sorry if I made things more difficult for you. I couldn't resist. I also broke a teacup and referred to them as your grandparents."</p><p>A grin pushed the mask of false-calm from Lee's face. She giggled once, twice, then exploded into tearful laughter.</p><p>"H-Hatake-san, ahahaha. Oh my goodness. I haven't laughed that hard in ages. Did you really?" Lee asked, abashed but delighted.</p><p>Kakashi grinned back under his mask.</p><p>"I hope I meet them again."</p><p>"I hope you do too!"</p><hr/><p>The next morning, Lee woke at the crack of dawn. The windows and blinds had been wide open all night, inviting in a cool breeze, and so when morning came, it invited the sun's rays and birdsong just the same.</p><p>Lee stretched her arms overhead and let out a big yawn. The hospital bed, lack of chores, and Sakura's lunch had all rejuvenated her, and Kakashi's words had put her to sleep with a smile on her face. She looked around for him or one of his squad, but the room was empty. Lee leaned out the window, resting her hands on the frame, and breathing in the air.</p><p>Today, Lee supposed, she would go home. If there was a bill, it would only grow with every minute she delayed. And Kakashi had said the Hokage wasn't overly concerned for her safety anymore. Which explained why he had already left. She climbed out of the window and onto the roof, stepping carefully and imagining what it would be like to run across the slanted tiles with complete confidence, even as they were slick with the morning dew. She dug her toes into the grooves and closed her eyes, trying to hear, smell, and taste the air around her, to extend her consciousness outward, so she would never forget this morning.</p><p>After a minute, Lee opened her eyes. A few yards away, silver hair waved in the morning breeze. Kakashi sat at the edge of the roof, on top of an industrial AC unit. He motioned to the area next to him, though she never saw him turn around. Lee looked at the wet, tilting roof and her pale feet, debating whether an adult telling her to really justified walking over there. She shrugged and, with both arms out to stabilize her, made her way over to Kakashi Hatake, who, she decided, would be a horrible babysitter and a very questionable father. But, she smiled, a very fun uncle.</p><p>"Good morning, Lee-san."</p><p>Lee responded in kind, climbing up onto the metal box. She hung her legs off, sitting closer to Kakashi than she would usually choose to. If she fell, she was determined to take him with her.</p><p>"Do you make a habit of sitting on the edge of buildings on slippery metal, or is this just for my benefit?" Lee asked teasingly.</p><p>"The edge of buildings is a personal preference. The slippery metal part is for you. You seem to have an affinity for buckets, and this is as close as I could get."</p><p>"Well thank you for your consideration," Lee said politely.</p><p>"Not at all."</p><p>"Did you mean what you said, Hatake-san?"</p><p>"I've said many things to you. I believe I meant them all, but no one's perfect." Lee rolled her eyes.</p><p>"What you said to my parents. That I would be...an excellent shinobi…" Lee's voice wavered. "Or were you just messing with them?"</p><p>"I did mean it, yes. I think you would be a very good shinobi. You're spirited and brave, and you care for the village and not just for the people you know. As sheltered as you are, you think freely and well and ask the right questions. You communicate very clearly. And, in spite of very little fighting experience and no formal training, you took down a group of adult men who <em>did </em>have experience. And you used innovation and quick thinking to do it. I think that there are many jobs you would excel at-shinobi not the least of them-if only you had the support."</p><p>"If only I had the support, huh?" Lee sighed.</p><p>The two sat for a while, watching the sun rise and the village gradually wake to join them in a new day. 7 came and went, and, when Lee asked Kakashi if he shouldn't be leaving to go train his team, he popped open his book and gave her a defiant eyebrow raise.</p><p>Lee giggled at Kakashi's brazen behavior, thinking he was a rather poor role model, which appealed to her all the more after spending 12 years under her parents roof. She wondered if this was his punishment to his team for bringing her the adult novel. She concealed a smile behind the curtain of her hair. <em>As if I wouldn't notice the book was gone.</em> She looked at Kakashi fondly and wished that she too had a few hours of waiting to look forward to when she went home.</p><p>At 8:30, Kakashi went back into the hospital and returned with a bundle of books and two very tattered sensu. He grabbed Lee by the waist and jumped off the building without warning. They fell three stories to the ground, where Kakashi landed as if he'd just skipped a step on the stairs. He set Lee down, handed her her things, ruffled her hair, and then walked off with a wave.</p><p>Just as he was about to turn a corner, Lee blinking disbelievingly behind him, he called back, "See you around, Lee-san," leaving the girl to ponder whether he meant it genuinely or was just saying goodbye.</p><hr/><p>Well, there it is. Let me know what you guys think! Will they ever see each other again? XD Jokes aside, please do let me know if you're enjoying the fic. I'm a slow writer, slow thinker, slow doer... I'm just really slow in general. I take my time with things. So hopefully my pacing isn't unpleasantly slow. I love some good dialogue and inner monologue, but I don't want to overdo it. So let me know if there's anything I should work on! Hope everyone's staying safe and sane!</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. The Punishment and the Lesson</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hi again! Thank everyone for your kudos and for reading! And thank you again to Shadow nao for your sweet comment. No Rock Lee yet, but we'll get there!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Chapter 5: The Punishment and The Lesson</p>
<hr/>
<p>Mizuchi Lee had never been to the Konoha Hospital before, and, if not for the hulking Hokage Monument, she might have gotten turned around. Instead, she meandered in that general direction, peeking in shop windows and pausing to look at weapons displays, flowers she'd never seen before, televisions, and a big poster of the book Kakashi had stolen from her.</p>
<p>In the twenty or so minutes it took to reach the red, rounded building that served as the Hokage's command center, Lee developed a new appreciation for the village. She received more cheerful greetings in that walk-drab hospital clothes, disheveled hair, and all-than she had in years. Her fear of the consequences of her actions plagued her no longer; this was the brightest of all days and no cloud would challenge her sunny disposition. Her legs felt strong, her stride felt long, and Lee felt a joy so exuberant and uncommon that she sprung eight feet up onto a brick wall and followed it to its end, not noticing for a second that such a feat was beyond her capability. Her elation seemed out of place and unnatural, but Lee swung the bundle of books beside her merrily and let her mind buzz from one thought to the next like so many bees:</p>
<p>She looked to the great heads of the village's leaders, old and new, and contemplated what it would feel like if her own face was chiseled into the great rock face.</p>
<p>
  <em>Do they think it's an honor, or is it just embarrassing? Maybe both. How weird it must be for their families. What will the village do when the Hokage monument grows too large to be contained in the village?</em>
</p>
<p>And she looked and walked to the east, where her home lay along the same mountain range that housed the monument, and Lee considered how some strange Hokage's face might hover over her own backyard in some distant year. She laughed freely, with no care for who might hear her. This was her morning, and the bundle of books was hers as well, and her bare feet (her shoes lay forgotten at the hospital) pressed into the packed soil of the streets, rooting her more deeply to her village with every step. Every chakra point in her body was thrumming in unison to some ancient song older than the Leaf, shinobi, or Lee's parents. With the Hokage to her north, and the village to her south, Lee walked eastward, the rising sun shining on her brow, and felt more awake and alive than ever before.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Kakashi arrived at the training grounds at 9:10, after a brisk shower, quick shave, and a pleasant breakfast. Despite his extended lack of sleep, he remained in good spirits. He had gotten the book back, punished Naruto (and the rest of the team for good measure), and he'd already decided on the perfect excuse for being late. All he had to do was let the kids train a little while he read, and then he could take a nice long nap. Later, perhaps he could bum a cig off Asuma, play a little shogi, and maybe swing by the Lee household to check the damage.</p>
<p>He stretched his arms overhead and let out a long, lazy yawn. He did a few lunges, a few side stretches, and, quick as a kunai, appeared on the archway above his three-man squad in a poof of smoke.</p>
<p>"Good morning, all. Sleep well?" The effect was instantaneous.</p>
<p>"KAKASHI-SENSEI! THIS IS THE LAST TIME I'M-"</p>
<p>"I DIDN'T BECOME A NINJA TO-"</p>
<p>"I'M GOING TO PUT IN A COMPLAINT WITH THE HOKA-"</p>
<p>Kakashi dropped down.</p>
<p>"Well, aren't you two lively today! And Sasuke, don't you look radiant?"</p>
<p>The boy glared menacingly, his eyebrows twitching and his fists shaking, a dark aura rising around him.</p>
<p>A flash of pink and a mean right hook shot at Kakashi's face. He leapt backward at the last minute, wincing. "Sakura-chan, if you want to hit me, you're going to have to move faster~!" Kakashi teased.</p>
<p>"You are"—an uppercut—"without a doubt"—a series of jabs—"the laziest,"—a right cross—"most unreliable,"—another uppercut—"most infuriating sensei I've ever had the misfortune"—a flying roundhouse—"to meet!"</p>
<p>Kakashi dodged, blocked, and flipped his way out of the onslaught of pink fury. He nodded, satisfied.</p>
<p>"Much better. Good form, Sakura. Feel better?" She seethed. <em>She really has been a ticking time bomb lately. It was bound to happen eventually. Should I really allow her to attack me though? I </em>am<em> her sensei...</em></p>
<p>"Not likely!" She spun away and waltzed over to the bench she'd been waiting on, plunking</p>
<p>down and crossing her arms with a huff. She turned away obstinately.</p>
<p>"Was this about the book Naruto gave that girl?" Sasuke asked, perceptively.</p>
<p>"What book?" Kakashi responded, playing coy. Sakura's head snapped back at them.</p>
<p>
  <em>Book?</em>
</p>
<p>"Yeah, what book?" asked Naruto. "You gave me the list!" he said, jabbing a finger at Sasuke. "If anyone messed it up, it was him!"</p>
<p>"You grabbed an adult book, you idiot! Or is it cause you never learned to read?"</p>
<p>"I know how to read, you-"</p>
<p>"I don't know what you two are going on about," Kakashi interrupted, putting a guiding hand on each of their backs and directing them toward the field, Sakura trailing behind at a distance. "Sorry if I was a little late, by the way. My neighbor's dog got loose, and I had to help her track him down. He's been bred for racing, so he actually runs faster than a horse. You wouldn't believe how-"</p>
<p>The three rolled their eyes and followed the taller man into the training area as he described the intricacies of dog breeding.</p>
<p><em>He definitely rehearses it, that baka-sensei, </em>thought Sakura. <em>He probably has a whole list. One of these days, he's going to tell the same story, and I'm gonna catch him. CHA!</em></p>
<p><em>I bet he's hiding a nose the length of Konoha under that mask, </em>scowled Naruto, kicking a rock.</p>
<p><em>This is all Naruto's fault. </em>Sasuke shook his head.<em> Sakura really lost it this time. If one of those punches connected, Kakashi would've been flattened. Just the sound they made hitting nothing but air...Not that I'm impressed. She leaves herself wide open. If she were fighting a real enemy, she'd be dead. Useless. Still, she puts so much power into those punches. Is she using chakra control instinctively? Ugh. The kind of jutsu I could use if I understood chakra the way she does... I'd be unstoppable. But if I ask her for help, she'll just think I'm interested in her, and then she'll never shut up. Whose bright idea was co-ed teams? I'll just have to work on it on my own or ask Kakashi.</em></p>
<p>"Alright, since you three seem really fired up today, we're going to start with some laps. Once you've worked off a bit of that energy, we're going to work on using chakra for speed and force. I'll tell you when you can stop. Off you go," Kakashi said, shooing them away.</p>
<p>After 20 minutes of peaceful reading, Kakashi stopped the trio and gave them a few minutes to catch their breath and guzzle some water. When the three sat together, no longer heaving, Kakashi shut his book and stood in front of them.</p>
<p>"You've already learned how to use chakra to walk up trees and walls," Kakashi began, "When you use chakra to hold yourself in place, you're actually creating your own system of chakra rooting."</p>
<p>"Chakra rooting?" Sakura asked, raising an eyebrow.</p>
<p>"Chakra rooting," confirmed Kakashi. "Here, follow me. I'll show you what I mean." Kakashi waved them over toward the woods. The reluctant students heaved themselves off the ground to follow. "You see this sapling? Naruto, try giving it a gentle push." The boy complied, kneeling down and nudging it with a finger. It popped back up resiliently.</p>
<p>"Alright, now Sasuke, try pushing <em>me</em> over," Kakashi instructed, forming the hand seal to direct his chakra. Sasuke pushed, then pushed harder, but Kakashi didn't budge.</p>
<p>"Whoa! Cool!" exclaimed Naruto.</p>
<p>"Now if Sasuke tried really hard, he might be able to push me over, but he would have to use enough force to push all the earth above my chakra rooting as well. His best bet would be to hit me from below and force my roots upward. Just like how if you wanted to knock over that sapling, your best bet would be to yank it out, not to push it. He could also break my concentration to cut off the flow of chakra.</p>
<p>"Right now," Kakashi continued, walking up the side of a tree, "I'm directing chakra from the balls of my feet into the tree. When I draw the chakra back inside—" he lifted a foot—"I'm disconnecting the flow of chakra. Even if you didn't realise it, you three have been learning to create and retract your own chakra rooting system, though only deep enough to support the force of your own weight. If I pushed you and you tried to stay standing, you'd fall very easily. But for now, you have the basics of chakra rooting down. And that's not what we're working on today, anyway." Kakashi jumped down from the tree.</p>
<p>Naruto groaned. "Then why even bring it up?"</p>
<p>"Now, now. We're going to work on something you'll like even better. When your goal isn't stability, but speed, or force, what you're really looking for is 'an equal and opposite reaction,' as the saying goes; you hit the ground with chakra, and the ground hits back.</p>
<p>"Watch closely," Kakashi instructed. He put his fingers back into the hand seal for channeling chakra.</p>
<p>The three leaned forward, then gasped. Without moving a muscle, Kakashi shot up a few inches into the air, then fell back down.</p>
<p>"This is what we call 'brute force chakra'. Pretty interesting, right?" The three nodded avidly. "Chakra is what allows ninja to make jumps or use force that would normally be beyond their ability."</p>
<p>"Sensei," Sakura raised her hand, "don't we already know how to do that?"</p>
<p>"Yes and no. What you know how to do is increase the force of your muscles using chakra. Which is great; most taijutsu combine chakra and muscles to generate increased force and speed. But when you use brute force chakra, your chakra system is working independent from your muscles. It doesn't come as natural as supporting your muscles with chakra, but when you actively expel chakra from your body in a short, concentrated burst, it opens up a whole new world of techniques."</p>
<p>"I don't get it. What's so different about using brute force chakra? If you use the same amount of force, you'll hit or jump just as high, whether it's chakra and muscle or just chakra right?"</p>
<p>"There are many advantages to using brute force chakra. Say I've already punched you," Kakashi planted his fist against Naruto's chest. "My arm is already extended. I either have to retract my arm and punch again, or get closer to shove you. But with brute force chakra—" Naruto stumbled backward—"I can hit you again. Or, if I've injured a leg, as long as my chakra system is intact, I can still jump. And those are only two of many uses. Even if chakra-supported muscle is easier to use and more natural, this is still an important skill. It might not be your first choice, but, in a pinch, this could save your life. Any questions?"</p>
<p>"Yeah! If you have really good chakra control, can you fly? Cause you could just keep pushing off as long as you had enough chakra, right?" Naruto asked excitedly.</p>
<p>
  <em>This kid.</em>
</p>
<p>"No, Naruto. It means you can jump really high. The air doesn't provide enough resistance to propel you forward. Any other questions? Good. Then let's give it a try, shall we? It'll be really tempting to use your toes, ankles, and knees to help, but resist the urge. Don't get discouraged if it doesn't work right away; this is more advanced than basic chakra rooting, so even Sakura might have a hard time with this."</p>
<p>After about five minutes, Sasuke suddenly tripped, falling onto his butt.</p>
<p>"HAH! What's wrong Sasuke? You tired? Look at you. You're already sweating! I could do this all day."</p>
<p><em>Sasuke...no...</em>, thought Sakura, <em>I believe in you. Stupid Naruto doesn't know what he's talking about.</em></p>
<p>"Very good, Sasuke. Naruto, Sasuke just succeeded in using brute force chakra. Because the flow wasn't steady or consistent between his feet, he stumbled, but he did manage to concentrate some chakra and hit the ground with it."</p>
<p><em>Wow! Sasuke, you're so cool. I have to do better too. Chakra control is the one thing I'm good at. Even if it's to Sasuke, I don't want to lose! </em>Sakura blushed happily.</p>
<p>Sasuke nodded in response and returned to focusing his chakra, ignoring Naruto's jealous glares.</p>
<p>A minute later:</p>
<p>"Very good, Sakura! You didn't go as high as Sasuke, but your chakra was consistent and the force was applied evenly. Keep up the good work. I'll leave you three to it for a while," Kakashi said, walking off to find some shade.</p>
<p>Twenty minutes later, Naruto started shouting.</p>
<p>"I did it, Kakashi-sensei! I did it! Did you guys see that? I must've been two inches off the ground!"</p>
<p>"Yeah right. More like a half-inch," muttered Sasuke, looking away angrily.</p>
<p>"You've all made progress. Oh, excellent job, Sakura!" The boys looked over at Sakura, who had just shot up an entire foot. "You're a natural."</p>
<p>"Wow, Sakura, you're amazing!" Naruto cheered. Sakura tried not to look too pleased with herself. She eyed Sasuke shyly. He glared back testily.</p>
<p>"Alright, I think we're going to call it a day."</p>
<p>"Wha—But Kakashi-sensei, I only just started getting the hang of it! It's barely past noon," whined Naruto.</p>
<p>"The thing about brute force chakra that makes it entirely different from rooting chakra, is that once the chakra impacts with the surface you're on, it's gone. It doesn't come back. You're actively expelling it from your body. When you guys were climbing trees, you could practice for hours because you could reuse the same chakra, though even then it is gradually leached from your system due to inefficiency. If you want to get better, you need to practice this in moderation and over time. And you should eat, rest, and hydrate more than usual. So get some food, and take it easy," Kakashi said, hitting Naruto on the back. "Dismissed!"</p>
<p><em>Well, </em>Kakashi thought, watching his Sasuke and Naruto bicker as they left the training grounds, <em>that went better than it could have. As expected, Sakura's much better than those two. She picked that up way faster than even I could.</em></p>
<hr/>
<p>Lee took a deep breath and undid the latch on the weathered wood gate that led into the Lee estate. <em>I can handle it. Anything. Today is a beautiful day, and this world is much bigger than them. The sun will still shine, no matter what they say. The stars will still twinkle. </em>Lee walked up to the front door and slid it open without hesitation.</p>
<p>"I'm home," she announced, stopping in the entryway to remove the shoes she didn't have. She heard the taps of two tea cups hitting a wood table. <em>He broke a teacup, didn't he. That guy...</em>Lee felt heartened, knowing that Kakashi had stood here but one day ago, unafraid. Her parents must have seemed so small and insignificant to him. Who in the world did a great ninja like him have to fear? She tugged a drawer of the entry table open and hid the bundle of books, beforing stepping up into the hallway. She opened the double sliding doors to the living room, entered, shut the doors, and knelt down. She bowed low.</p>
<p>"Forgive me for my late return," Lee said, speaking into the floorboards, "I was unavoidably detained." She sat back on her heels, hands folded in her lap, as elegantly as a princess, though her hair was as wild as a stray dog's. Lee's eyes rose to meet her parents'. Her father's gaze was steely, and his strong jaw was set. His hair, a perfectly combed mane of white, black, and grey, made him appear both wise and terrible. Her mother's eyes crackled with white fire, and her cheekbones formed a steep, treacherous ridge over the otherwise delicate landscape of her face. A tight, elaborate bun held her brown tresses in place, adorned with a single jade hair pin older than the village itself. To Lee they seemed a fearsome pair.</p>
<p>She placed the two sensu in front of her and slid them forward.</p>
<p>"I also apologize for the state of the family sensu. They were an invaluable tool for my survival, but I regret the damage they have sustained." Lee's mother's eyes sharpened into a dangerous metallic grey as they fell upon the sensu, and her lips tightened into a long, thin line.</p>
<p>The two turned back to the table and resumed drinking tea silently. Behind them, a second set of double doors was spread open, revealing the back garden. Lee sat patiently, as her parents stared out into the yard. She sat until her knees began to ache. Eventually, her parents got up and went about their usual routines, save any that revolved around Lee. Hours passed, and the sun set, and still Lee sat, only daring to move to stumble over to the bathroom once. Her parents retired to the bedroom, snuffing the candles in the living room, and still Lee did not move. She knew better.</p>
<p>She fell asleep late that night, still sitting.</p>
<p>It had never taken this long before. But then, they had never been this angry before, had they?</p>
<hr/>
<p>Kakashi arrived at the Lee household later than he'd intended. Asuma had invited him to their favorite bar, where the two sensei caught each other up on their students' latest exploits:</p>
<p>Kakashi related to Asuma the details of the bandit attack and the paperwork that accompanied it. He also gave a far more distressing account of the adult book fiasco and Sakura's outburst, at which point Asuma clapped him on the back and bought him a round of drinks.</p>
<p>Asuma shared his own sensei troubles, such as how instead of being overly competitive like Sasuke and Naruto, two of his students lacked any motivation whatsoever, and every time he turned around, they were sneaking snacks or taking naps. To make matters worse, apparently the third member of his squad had suddenly decided she was in love with him and was asking for extra lessons, at which point Kakashi clapped <em>him</em> on the back and bought another round of drinks.</p>
<p>"How on earth did our own senseis put up with us, if we were even half as difficult?" Kakashi mused.</p>
<p>Asuma just sighed in response.</p>
<p>"We were definitely cuter too," Kakashi added, setting his glass down.</p>
<p>"Ah, I don't know. You were kind of a dick," Asuma grinned. Kakashi glared and kicked his friend's stool.</p>
<p>"Yeah, you're right. I kind of was," Kakashi laughed. "Being young is hard. I guess I should lower my standards a little. They're all trying, at least. I just don't see them getting along anytime soon. They want to become jonin overnight, but they keep messing up D rank missions because they're too busy bickering. And as talented as they are, when we fought we fought with Zabuza, Naruto was a total wildcard and Sakura just fell apart. Sasuke would be the ideal student if he could just get over himself. He's more arrogant than <em>I </em>was at his age. I have no idea what to do."</p>
<p>Asuma filled their glasses again.</p>
<p>"I don't know how Kurenai does it," said the man, after a long draft. "Her team is a total mixed bag,-That Kiba kid sounds as unruly as your Naruto-but every mission is a success. Overconfident cildcard, girl with no self-confidence, and Mr. Calm and Collected. Sound familiar?"</p>
<p>"I guess Kurenai's just better than me," Kakashi sighed.</p>
<p>"Yeah, she really is." Kakashi kicked his stool again and grinned into his glass.</p>
<p>And so Kakashi landed on the roof of Lee's house at half past midnight. He crept furtively through the yard and pressed his ear to the back door. He could hear faint breathing. He slid the door open an inch, just enough to look through. His eye widened marginally when he saw Lee sitting perfectly upright, facing his direction. He opened his mouth to whisper an explanation, only to realize she was sound asleep. Her head was lolling to the side, her lips forming a troubled frown, and her eyes looked slightly sunken in. A bubbling rage (or perhaps it was the alcohol) roiled Kakashi's stomach. After a traumatic encounter and a slew of minor injuries, the young girl should have been resting in bed after a comforting meal. Yet there she sat, still as stone, a face as weary as an adult's.</p>
<p><em>How long has she been sitting there? I left her so early in the morning. Did she come right home?</em> Kakashi slid the door shut regretfully. <em>Well I'll just have to let this play out. I'll come back to check on her tomorrow. I don't think I can attest to her safety without knowing the extent of her punishment. At least not in good faith. We might not have a say in how the Lee family discipline their children, but if things are dire enough, we could try for a PTSD diagnosis to get the social services division involved. Though the strain on her familial ties and the stigma might just make matters worse. Ahh, what a mess.</em></p>
<hr/>
<p>Lee woke at dawn, feeling at least ten times worse than she had before she fell asleep. <em>At least, </em>she thought, <em>they shouldn't be nearly as angry after seeing me kneel for so long. Mother always said my greatest fault was my inability to sit still. Look at me now, mother. You must be so proud.</em></p>
<p>Late that morning, through some unspoken parental consensus, Lee's parents kneeled side-by-side in front of her. Her pulse quickened in anticipation. Her father looked down at her.</p>
<p>"Mizuchi Lee," he spoke impressively, "your actions have brought great shame to this family. Explain yourself."</p>
<p><em>Explain myself? </em>Lee panicked. <em>Well that's a new one.</em></p>
<p>"Forgive me, Father. I am not sure what you wish me to explain," Lee said levely.</p>
<p>"Explain to me what you did, as well as your reasons. We have been told you got into a violent fight with a group of men and incapacitated several of them. Your mother and I want the truth."</p>
<p>"I do not understand, Father. I was told by the great ninja Kakashi Hatake that he himself had spoken with you. He told no lies. I visited Grandma Hatsu while you and mother were out—</p>
<p>"—A poor way to repay our trust, Mizuchi," her mother cut in.</p>
<p>"I am deeply sorry," Lee bowed, sorrowfully, "for my betrayal. It did not serve me well, for as I left Grandma Hatsu to return home, I realized I had left my s—I had left something behind. When I returned to retrieve it, I saw Grandma Hatsu beset by bandits. They saw me, and I knew I could not outrun them, so I ran to Grandma Hatsu. Our lives, I believed, were in great danger, so I offered Grandma Hatsu's belongings; they had no interest. They wanted information that would put the village—our family—in danger. The only option that occurred to me was to fight, and so I did. Luck shined upon me and I was able to repel them until the ninja, Kakashi Hatake of the Lightning Blade, overheard our scuffle and came to our aid. I have no love for violence, Mother, Father. I acted without beauty and wholly in fear. It is my sincerest desire that the Lee family's legacy is upheld, and to protect the village and our way of life seemed to me, at the time, the only answer. I see in your faces that I have acted rashly and it displeases you. I feel no pride, but only remorse. My only hope is that you see in my faults the potential to learn." Lee bowed low, though her back protested, and waited for their response. <em>I have never spoken so well in all my life, </em>she praised herself inwardly. <em>And with no time to plan. Not too shabby.</em></p>
<p>"You speak well, child. Too well, with that serpent tongue. Your actions and your words disgrace you. You and your mother both. Long years has she worn away at your impudence, yet still you remain as disagreeable and obstinate as the day you were born. There is no remorse in your eyes, only deceit. You were born wild, and you remain thus. No Lee woman resorts to violence. Were it your mother, she would have kneeled and awaited her fate with grace, before surviving in such an unsightly manner. The legacy of our family does not rest on your shoulders. You are not so important. Know your place, girl!" He raised his voice. Lee flinched and tears pricked at her eyes in spite of herself.</p>
<p>"Forgive me, Father! I was out of line. I am tired and hungry and troubled by the things I have seen. I am not sound of mind, and I fear only time may allow me to order my thoughts. I am not as lost as you fear. Please do not despair. Let me prove myself to you!"</p>
<p>"You are not sound of mind? Mizuchi Lee, you shall never be sound of mind, or you would cease to be the same girl. If you wish for time, then time you shall have. Until you are as calm and still in spirit as the family grave, I do not wish to see your face. Do not disturb us as we dine, nor plague us with your fitful sleep, for even then you are loud and uncouth. Your mother shall attend to your lessons as usual, but as you are, I have no interest in a daughter such as you. Become something better."</p>
<p>And with those words, Lee rose, stumbling and weak, as if walking for the first time. She limped into the yard, shut the doors behind her, and threw herself behind the great tree she had always climbed as a child. She sobbed and sobbed until no tears came out, clutching the roots of the tree, and then she sobbed more. Every ounce of joy and pleasure from the previous morning and the day before was gone. She was more miserable and lonely than any child in the world, and nothing could convince her otherwise.</p>
<p><em>Become something better. </em>The words did not enter her mind. There was no room for thought in that place. But the words hung over her just the same.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Well that happened. Don't worry, this isn't a very depressing fic, but that scene was important for Mizuchi's development!</p>
<p>Look forward to the next chapter, "The Visitor," next Sunday (7/19).</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. The Visitor</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Thank you so much to everyone for your kudos and for reading! I felt a little bit like I was floundering with this chapter, but I kept going and I think it turned out alright in the end! Let me know what you think!</p>
<hr/>
<p>Chapter 6: The Visitor</p>
<hr/>
<p>By early afternoon, Lee's tears had all dried up. Her anguish ebbed like the passing of a storm, leaving her disoriented but strangely tranquil in its wake. Her senses came back to her. She was dizzy. Her throat and eyes burned. She tasted salt on her lips. But the breeze was pleasant, and it smelled sweet. The garden around her was full of flowers, and the waterfall rolling down the rocks and splattering into the pond soothed her ringing ears. The sky was blue. She had been so certain the world was falling apart, but what had changed, really?</p>
<p><em>Since when have I been so concerned about pleasing them? What would Brother do in my shoes? If he followed his heart, then he would be content, no matter what anyone said. What does it matter if I've failed them? What does it matter if I'm not the daughter they want? What does it matter if I'm not enough for them? What does any of it matter? So I'm a bad Lee. That doesn't mean a thing to Hatake-san, Haruno-san, or the other villagers. I don't think it means a thing to anyone off this tiny plot of land. It shouldn't matter, but...</em>Lee leaned against the cool wood of the tree and looked up at the green light filtering down from above, <em>but it feels like it does.</em> And though her stomach cried for food, and her throat for water, Lee's exhaustion won out, and she drifted to sleep.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Kakashi let out a wide, rather unprofessional yawn without much care for discretion; it was twice-concealed behind <em>Icha Icha</em> and his mask. It was a balmy afternoon and he was shading himself under a tree. The team had practiced brute force chakra sparingly earlier in the day, and, after a light lunch, they were about to transition to physical conditioning:</p>
<p>"Alright. Gather 'round," Kakashi said, snapping his book closed and standing up. "Let's give your chakra a rest. We're going to do some physical conditioning in the form of a team exercise. You see all those trees and branches over there?" Kakashi pointed at an immense pile on one side of the training grounds. The three nodded. "Those were cut down yesterday to help curb a disease afflicting the trees around here,"—"Trees get sick, too?" whispered Naruto to Sakura. She rolled her eyes and nodded—"so we may as well make use of them. Naruto, since you seem so eager, we'll start with you. Find a small branch and run it back over"—Kakashi drew a line in the dirt with his shoe—"here."</p>
<p>Naruto ran the thirty or so feet to the pile, found a small branch, and ran back to deposit it on the other side of the line.</p>
<p>"What's this supposed to do exactly?" asked Naruto confused.</p>
<p>"You'll see. Go get a bigger one." Naruto complied.</p>
<p>"Bigger." Naruto glared but obeyed.</p>
<p>"Even bigger."</p>
<p>This continued until Naruto, panting and dragging his feet, dropped a short but thick tree trunk in the middle of the clearing.</p>
<p>"Good! Sasuke, go help him." Sasuke sighed, removed his hands from his pockets, and hustled over to Naruto. Together, the two boys grabbed either end of the trunk and carried it over past the line easily.</p>
<p>"Nice job. Now do it again. This time—"</p>
<p>"Bigger, right?" breathed Naruto, with a sweaty grin. Kakashi nodded, with a crescent-eyed smile.</p>
<p>After a few minutes, Naruto tripped and overcompensated by pushing up on the tree, knocking Sasuke over.</p>
<p>"Be careful, you moron! Are you <em>trying</em> to break my foot?"</p>
<p>"It's not my fault you can't keep up, Sasuke!"</p>
<p>"As if I—</p>
<p>"Break it up, you two! Sakura," Kakashi gestured, "you can go help them now."</p>
<p>The boys struggled to lift the tree back up from the ground while Sakura squatted under the middle, pushing up. The three genin continued until Naruto finally fell over when they tried to lift a thick, 12-foot-long tree.</p>
<p>Kakashi whistled to get their attention.</p>
<p>"Here's your mission: get that tree over here. You can only carry it. No rolling. Your body and your chakra are your only tools. Sakura, your comrades are hurt. Naruto can't walk. The enemies hot on your trail. You're in charge, so figure it out."</p>
<p>"Wh-what? Kakashi-sensei, we couldn't pick this up with all three of us. Now you're saying I can't walk?" exclaimed Naruto. "How're Sakura and Sasuke gonna carry that thing without me?"</p>
<p>"How 'bout it, Sakura? What <em>are</em> you going to do?" Kakashi said, smirking.</p>
<p><em>That jerk! </em>Inner Sakura swore.</p>
<p>"Sakura, you and Sasuke try to carry that tree over, and I'll crawl behind you," Naruto urged her.</p>
<p>"There's enemies behind us, remember?" growled Sasuke.</p>
<p>"I don't <em>see</em> anyone!" snapped Naruto.</p>
<p>"It's part of the exercise, stupid!"</p>
<p>"Sakura, the enemy is catching up…" Kakashi warned.</p>
<p>
  <em>Ugh. I can't think! There's too much going on. What do I do? What do I do?</em>
</p>
<p>"Take Naruto and run."</p>
<p>"What?" asked Sakura, startled.</p>
<p>"Take Naruto and run," Sasuke repeated. "I'll hold them off."</p>
<p>"I don't think so. If there's a fight, I want in! Leave me here, Sakura. You and Sasuke just try an' get that tree out of here. I can take these imaginary guys, easy."</p>
<p>"You idiot! Just ignore him."</p>
<p><em>What do I do? I can't focus! </em>Tears started to pool in Sakura's eyes, blurring her vision. <em>If I leave someone behind, they might die. But if I leave the tree, we'll fail the mission.</em></p>
<p>"Just go, Sakura!" shouted Sasuke. "Take Naruto and—Or even better, I'll carry him, on my back and we'll each grab a side of the—"</p>
<p>"Sakura, I wanna fight the—"</p>
<p>"They're coming up behind you, Sakura…"</p>
<p>"SHUT UP!" she shouted at the three of them, even Sasuke. They froze in shock.</p>
<p>Sakura looked at the condition of Naruto and Sasuke, at the tree, and at the distance, crunching numbers. <em>If I know Kakashi-sensei at all, he'd never leave a comrade behind. In our first training session, the whole point was teamwork. There's only one way. </em>Sakura nodded to herself.</p>
<p>"If this were real, either one of you could die," she whispered. "I'm in the best condition. So get Naruto out of here," she directed Sasuke. "I'll take care of the mission." Sakura tightened her headband.</p>
<p>"How on earth is someone like you going to—" Sasuke started.</p>
<p>"That's an order, Sasuke!" Sakura said, refusing to meet his eyes.</p>
<p>Sasuke gave her a weird look but nodded and took off, dragging Naruto (who was throwing a tantrum) behind him.</p>
<p>Sakura rooted herself firmly in the ground just before the tree. <em>I have to brace myself or I'll probably just fall, </em>she told herself.<em> And then I need to use my chakra and muscles to lift it. This tree is probably over 500 pounds, and I need to carry it, plus my body, over thirty feet. It seems impossible, but somehow...That's it! This is...</em>she glared intensely at the tree before her, <em>the weight of my love for Sasuke. So no matter what, I'll lift it! Cha!</em></p>
<p>With a fierce grunt, Sakura channeled her chakra into her legs and the earth, forcing her energy ever downward, and then abruptly in the opposite direction as well. Using the earth as her counterweight, Sakura sunk low and hefted up the tree until it was directly above her. Her chakra was depleting at an alarming rate.</p>
<p>
  <em>Are you looking, Sasuke? I'm not useless. Maybe I'm no match for Zabuza or Haku, but for something like this, you can rely on me!</em>
</p>
<p>Gritting her teeth, the young genin pushed forward, veins bulging, skin as pink as her hair, faster and faster until she was charging like some monstrous pink bull. As she crossed the line, the tree soared over the two boys' heads, and rolled behind them, half-rotted branches snapping with sharp <em>cracks! </em>Sakura fell to her knees and skid, then collapsed on her stomach.</p>
<p>"Sakura-chan…" Naruto whispered in awe. <em>She's so cool.</em></p>
<p><em>If that doesn't give her some confidence, </em>Kakashi thought, with a grim satisfaction, <em>I don't know what will.</em></p>
<p>She slowly rolled over, moaning and clutching her bleeding knees.</p>
<p>"Sakura!" shouted Naruto. "Sensei, she's hurt!"</p>
<p>"I can see that, Naruto," Kakashi said calmly, already pulling a first aid kit out of his bag. He tended to her knees efficiently and fed her a generous helping of compliments to help solidify in her mind just how capable she was.</p>
<p>"That was stupid, Sakura," Sasuke said suddenly. Darkly. Sakura blinked up at him, her pink hair plastered to her face with sweat.</p>
<p><em>What? </em>The glimmer of triumph flickered uncertainly in her green eyes.</p>
<p>"If you'd just had me carry Naruto while I helped you with the tree, you wouldn't be injured!" He scowled down at where she sat on the ground, her knees half-wrapped in bandages.</p>
<p>"Now Sasuke," Kakashi began warily, a wave of panic settling in his stomach. <em>He needs to shut up now. This kid is going to ruin everything!</em></p>
<p>"Who are you, Naruto? Trying to play the hero now?"</p>
<p>"What? Sasuke, no! I was just—" Tears glittered in her eyes.</p>
<p>"Sasuke, what the hell is your problem!" bellowed Naruto, shoving the taller boy roughly and getting in his face. "Sakura-chan just carried that huge tree all by herself so you and I would be safe. That was amazing!"</p>
<p>"We could have done it faster and easier if I were the one calling the shots!"</p>
<p>"Yeah, right! You could never have carried that tree. You would have tried to fight the enemy, and then you would've died! And we would've failed the mission too! Sakura-chan did way better than you ever could!"</p>
<p>"I don't need your help, Naruto! So just back off!" Sakura cried, getting to her feet.</p>
<p>"You heard her!" Sasuke yelled, shoving Naruto back. "Back off!"</p>
<p>"Why you!" Naruto rounded up for a punch. Sakura threw herself in the way.</p>
<p>"Stop it! All of you!" Kakashi caught Naruto's punch and pinned him to the ground by his arm.</p>
<p>"Ow! OW! Ok, I get it!" yelped Naruto.</p>
<p>"You'd think after all you'd been through, you'd have some respect for each other!" scolded Kakashi. He released Naruto. The jonin put his hands on his hips and glared. The three genin slowly lined up, one by one, in a row. First he fixed his gaze on Sasuke:</p>
<p>"Sasuke, I'm especially disappointed in you. You're a great fighter and a smart kid, but Sakura can be strong too. As her teammate, you should celebrate her accomplishments, not tell her you can do better."</p>
<p>Kakashi directed his focus to a smug-faced Naruto.</p>
<p>"And Naruto, don't you look all pleased with yourself. If this were a real mission, yelling your head off like that would have alerted the enemy. And fighting when you couldn't even move would have gotten you killed or captured. Also, there's a way to call a squadmate out for having a bad attitude. That...was not...it," he said in a clipped tone.</p>
<p>"As for you, Sakura, while your decision-making was slow, you did complete the objective and secure your squad's safety. So good job.</p>
<p>"Unfortunately, while the mission was technically a success," Kakashi smiled coldly, "you all still fail." They hung their heads. "There will be no training tomorrow," he continued. "Practice your brute force chakra if you like, but I expect you three to reference your old notes and books and turn in at least ten pages answering these questions:</p>
<p>"Sakura, why did your squadmates feel like they needed to take the lead? What did you lack as a squad leader? Sasuke and Naruto, what is insubordination and how is it punished? This would have been at least a B-ranked mission, so keep that in mind. Also, what could you have done differently to support your squad leader? What is the appropriate way to offer advice?</p>
<p>"Finally, I expect twenty laps around the village at dawn. I will inform the guards at each gate, so don't think you can get out of this. I'm very disappointed in you three."</p>
<p>Kakashi stared down at the kids in front of him, and seeing their chastened faces, sighed out the last of his anger. "We're a team, ok? Don't forget it. I'm only disappointed because I expect great things from you. You need to lift each other up, not put each other down. Chakra control isn't everything. Quick-thinking isn't everything. Bravery isn't everything. That's why we're a squad. We all have something the other needs. So respect each other, alright? Dismissed!"</p>
<p>Kakashi shook his head as he watched the three genin retreat into the distance. Sakura turned to say something to Sasuke, but the boy kept walking. Naruto put a hand on her shoulder and pointed timidly in the direction of his favorite ramen stand, but the girl batted his hand away and strode off. <em>What the hell am I going to do? </em>Kakashi moaned inwardly.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Lee woke to find the world shrouded in darkness. <em>How long have I been asleep?</em> she thought groggily. Her eyes stung and itched. They hadn't felt normal since before the incident at Grandma Hatsu's. Lee hoped it was just from crying so much, and she hadn't somehow scratched them. Her stomach rumbled. She rested a hand on it and shook her head. <em>Not today, stomach. When Father said I couldn't dine with him, that meant I couldn't dine at all. So you and I are going to have a lonely few days ahead of us.</em></p>
<p><em>All the lights are out. </em>Lee looked around confused. She pushed herself off the ground and found her legs were, for the most part, normal again, which she had anticipated taking several days. As Lee walked around the tree, the light of dozens, perhaps hundreds, of fireflies came into view. They were flitting about the pond, scattering golden lights across its surface. As the little bugs fed on their nectar, flowers lit up like tiny lanterns and waved like bells in the warm supper breeze. Crickets were chirping sweetly from their own dark corners. Lee knelt down and peered into a glowing flower curiously.</p>
<p>"Every night must seem like a festival to you. Food, lights, music...and there must be lots of pretty girl bugs, right? And you know just what to do, don't you? It's all there in your little head. You must think my parents and I are rather silly. They don't know how to raise me, and I'm not quite sure how to grow up. Oh!" Lee breathed, as the lightning bug suddenly flew out and hovered inches from her eyes, before whirling around her. Lee turned to watch it, when she saw something dark move on her roof. Lee's hair pricked up and her breath caught in her throat. Then, all at once, her mounting horror was thrust aside by wonder.</p>
<p>"Yo," said Kakashi, with a two-fingered wave.</p>
<p>"H-Hatake-san?" Lee ran forward slightly and squinted up at the shadowy figure perched on the tiled roof, silhouetted by the moon.</p>
<p>He set something down and leapt lithely off the roof, landing as lightly as a cat. "Hello there. Isn't it a lovely night?" he asked, looking around the yard. "The fireflies are beautiful."</p>
<p>"I-I suppose they are…Hatake-san, forgive me for being frank, but what on earth are you doing here?"</p>
<p>"Me? Oh, I was just on a stroll through the neighborhood after I finished my watch. Thought I'd drop by." He smiled cheerily.</p>
<p>"Isn't it a little late for a visit?"</p>
<p>Kakashi looked up into the sky.</p>
<p>"Well it's past midnight."</p>
<p>Lee's eyes widened in shock. <em>Did I really sleep for that long?</em></p>
<p>"Hmm," Kakashi said, narrowing his eye disapprovingly, "Aren't you a little young to be up this late?" Lee couldn't tell if he was joking.</p>
<p>"And aren't you a little old to be sneaking into someone's yard to talk to their daughter?" Lee teased back boldly. Kakashi let out a low chuckle, amused.</p>
<p>"Touché."</p>
<p>"Can ninja really tell the time," Lee asked eagerly, "just by looking at the stars?"</p>
<p>"Well, not all of us. Watches are becoming standard-issue, so most of the younger ninja don't even learn. Still, a good skill to have. Are you hungry?"</p>
<p>"Hungry? I'm not supposed to—" Lee's stomach rumbled loudly and let out a groan. She flushed. An arm wrapped around her waist and suddenly she was flying through the air, weightless. They landed on the roof lightly, with not so much as a clatter on the tiles. Kakashi set her down.</p>
<p>"You could warn me, you know?" Lee said somewhat sternly, still clinging to his sleeve for stability. "Before doing something like that," she added. He just smiled and sat down, leaning into his hands.</p>
<p>The tiles felt slightly warm under Lee's feet, still baked through with the heat of the day. The warmth calmed her. Lee turned when she heard a quiet rustle. Kakashi leaned over and set a bowl wrapped in cellophane at her feet. He plopped a pair of disposable chopsticks on top.</p>
<p>Lee sat down carefully, thankful that she was wearing pants instead of a kimono. She studied the bowl curiously. It was white with red markings.</p>
<p>With another rustle, Kakashi pulled a second bowl out of a fabric bag. He pierced the cellophane of his bowl with a sharp jab from his chopsticks, separated the two sticks with a clean <em>crack!</em>, and used them to bat away the wrapping.</p>
<p>"Itadakimasu," he chanted dully. Lee stared at her bowl, listening to the splashes, slurps, and the occasional tap of a chopstick. Her stomach rumbled again, thankfully inaudibly. <em>Does he know I'm not being fed? Or is this just a coincidence? Why is he here?</em></p>
<p>"Did you already eat?" She looked up at him. She shook her head slowly in answer. <em>Coincidence, then?</em></p>
<p>"It's not drugged, Lee-san. I'm not here to abduct you or anything."</p>
<p>"I didn't think you were! And I didn't think it was," Lee assured him quickly, horrified. "It's just a little weird, you know, Hatake-san...to show up on a girl's roof after midnight and offer her noodles. Maybe that's normal in your world, but it's enough to give me pause. I still don't even know why you're here."</p>
<p>Kakashi sighed.</p>
<p>"I was concerned, I suppose. What you said about your parents…"</p>
<p>Lee smiled sadly.</p>
<p>"Things aren't great, but they could be worse. You've saved me, and that's enough. This is my life. It does not rest on your shoulders, so be at ease."</p>
<p>"You say some things I wouldn't expect to hear from a child."</p>
<p>"I don't know a lot of children."</p>
<p>"Maybe that's a good thing."</p>
<p>"What do you mean?"</p>
<p>Kakashi laughed quietly. "Ah, my team's just giving me a hard time. You met them. They're a bit...livelier than your average group."</p>
<p>"Haruno-san," Lee said slowly, picking her wording carefully, "seemed a little unsure of herself."</p>
<p>"Yes, well, she did really great today."</p>
<p>"Really? Why do you sound unhappy about it?"</p>
<p>"One of the other kids got jealous and knocked her down a peg. The dark-haired one who's always serious. He wants to be the strongest ninja around, and a girl he's usually protecting did something he couldn't. His pride was hurt, so he lashed out. I'm not really sure what to do about it," Kakashi admitted. "Every time I manage to build up her confidence, he does or says one little thing and it all comes tumbling down."</p>
<p>"Hatake-san, I don't think you told me this seeking counsel, but I have some words if you will hear them."</p>
<p>Kakashi raised an eyebrow.</p>
<p>"Shoot."</p>
<p>"Haruno-san spoke to me quite freely, and while I do not know her as well as you do, I know at least that she received the highest grades in the Academy in several years. I can imagine that she received an abundance of praise during her attendance. If she is still insecure after years of praise, perhaps that is not the wisest route."</p>
<p>Kakashi considered this. "What would you suggest, then?"</p>
<p>"I've only ever really met one other kunoichi. Last year, my brother's teammate came looking for him. I spoke with her briefly while she waited. She told me that my brother and their new sensei never pulled their punches or fussed over her. And when I questioned her on why that was so important, she said to me: 'For a kunoichi, to be treated as special is fine, but to receive special treatment is like a slap in the face'.</p>
<p>"I thought a long time after she left about what she meant. She didn't want to be told 'don't waste room in your bag on shampoo' or 'cut your hair short; it's a waste of time'. But she also didn't want to be held back and kept safe, only to be ill-prepared when enemy shinobi did not afford her the same consideration.</p>
<p>"I'm not saying you've been going easy on her, but maybe her teammates have. Maybe, instead of trying to boost her confidence, you should set an example and show all of them, including her, that she isn't so different; that she's just as serious as they are, and not just looking for praise. I've only spoken with her briefly, but even I know Haruno-san didn't become a ninja looking for approval. Even if it's to someone she likes or admires, I don't think she wants to lose."</p>
<p>"I'm beginning to think," said a bemused Kakashi, "that I've been going about this entirely the wrong way."</p>
<p>"I don't suppose you've asked a woman for advice then."</p>
<p>"Ahh. I don't suppose I did," Kakashi laughed. "I should've known."</p>
<p>Lee smiled.</p>
<p>"Won't you eat? The noodles are probably getting soggy."</p>
<p>"Oh! Sorry. I was just chattering away, wasn't I? I owe you my life you know," Lee said, pulling the wrapping off the bowl and peering into it curiously. "If you start buying me food too, I don't think I'll ever repay you."</p>
<p>"The best reward for saving a life is seeing it well cared for. And, no offense, for I doubt it's your fault: you don't seem to be doing a brilliant job. This is the best ramen in all of Konoha, according to one of my students. He has more energy than anyone I've met, so maybe he's on to something."</p>
<p>"I shall give it a try, then." Lee said softly, a shy smile peeking through the corners of her mouth. She split her chopsticks and began to eat as delicately as the ramen and her hunger would allow. "If I must be in someone's debt, I am glad I am in yours, Kakashi Hatake."</p>
<hr/>
<p>Hope you enjoyed it!</p>
<p>Look forward to the next chapter, "The Second Encounter: Lee's Mad Dash!", next Sunday (7/26)!</p>
<p>Stay safe and stay cool!</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. The Second Encounter - Lee's Mad Dash!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Thanks to everyone who's reviewed or otherwise expressed interest in this story. I struggled a lot with the beginning of this chapter, but then the rest of it came much easier than usual. I honestly had a blast writing it! Having a hobby with visible results has given me a bit more of a sense of purpose, I think. I'm beginning to feel a little more confident! ^/^ How cool is that?</p>
<p>This is a nice long chapter too! I hope you enjoy it. Please let me know what you think, if you feel like it. I'm always curious what you guys have to say!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Chapter 7: The Second Encounter: Lee's Mad Dash!</p>
<hr/>
<p>Lee stared up at the roof of the house, leaning on a rake. <em>I wonder if that man will come again.</em></p>
<p>She felt normal. Almost. Sleep had done what it did best. Her pain had faded to a dull ache, and her aches to a collection of faint reminders.</p>
<p>And she looked normal too. Every wild edge was whittled down. Her sprawling cloud of hair was bound into a tight inky swirl atop her head, and her bangs rested tamely across her brow, like two lightly-folded wings. Her kimono was clean, unripped and unstained, a dull grey-pink that couldn't commit to one color or the other.</p>
<p>Everything was as it should be, or had been, but a defiant smoldering coal in the black of Lee's eyes, a dull light that couldn't be snuffed. So she raked and swept and cleared debris, danced and folded and poured, and buried it under layer after layer of ritual and calm. So it couldn't be seen.</p>
<p>Preparing lunch with her mother was a challenge. The silence was mandatory, it seemed, and stifling. Lee had no intention of being the one to break it, instead engaging in a game as stimulating as it was draining: deducing precisely what it was they were cooking. She took what she was handed, washed vegetables that were already washed, and cut things every which way, and received exactly zero feedback. Her mother chopped the carrots with more force than was strictly necessary, but if the girl had done anything wrong, her mother did not say.</p>
<p>Lee wasn't sure if that was good or bad.</p>
<p>When the time came to eat, Lee left wordlessly, returning to the yard. She sat on a large rock by the fish pond, throwing food in occasionally, watching them eat hungrily, as was their wont during the hot summer months. She swung her feet and nodded her head and smiled away hunger, frustration, and melancholy, whenever they creeped in the corners of her mind. She smiled because tucked away in some secret drawer was a cache of forbidden books. And on the roof perhaps, Lee thought, looking up, some stray lock of hair, still imbued with starlight and moonbeams and firefly's glow, was fluttering away.</p>
<p><em>Would </em>he come again? <em>He's probably too busy, </em>she thought. <em>He has his team to train, and who knows what else a jonin is responsible for? </em>Lee turned her thoughts to the previous night. <em>I wonder if my advice will help him understand Haruno-san better. Was I too forward? He seemed to appreciate my perspective, but maybe he was just being polite.</em></p>
<p>
  <em>I hope I didn't offend him.</em>
</p>
<p>From dawn to evening that day, Lee's eyes flitted to the roof, with increasing frequency as the sky began to darken. She was hungry, and after an equally stressful dinner preparation, she was ravenous.</p>
<p>Kakashi did not appear that night, but Lee did not go hungry either.</p>
<p>As she lingered in the yard late that night, not entirely sure where <em>"do not disturb us with your fitful sleep" </em>left her (she had slept enough the previous afternoon to remain awake until presently), Lee was startled by a rustle in a nearby bush. It was too loud and too sudden to be a breeze. Something brown and blue darted away, straight up the cliff.</p>
<p>Lee carefully made her way over towards the bush, eyeing the cliff warily. On the ground was a bowl of ramen. White with red characters. Ichiraku. <em>This is the same ramen he brought last night...But why like this?</em> She peeled back the film and smelled it, wondering if poison even had a smell. With a cautious glance toward the house, Lee sat on the ground behind the bush and ate it in the dark, quickly and messily. She felt like a stray, living off the kindness of a stranger.</p>
<p>It appeared again on the second night.</p>
<p>
  <em>I never realized how dull my days were until I had something to look forward to. Are you watching me even now, Kakashi Hatake?</em>
</p>
<p>On the third night, Lee resolved to climb the tree in the yard to see how the bowl was arriving. She squinted through the dark as a small creature in a dark vest darted down the steep rock face behind the pond. It deposited the white bowl on the ground behind the bush, then practically flew up the rocks and into the night. She thought she saw a flash of silver reflecting the moonlight. <em>Was that…a ninja hound?</em></p>
<p>On the morning of the fourth day, Lee's mother quietly set the table for three, and Lee was so relieved she almost cried. Instead, she kept her face trained and ate delicately and slowly.</p>
<p>After lunch, she sat on a stump by the pond, glancing up at the roof, as she did whenever she thought of Kakashi Hatake. She wondered if he would continue sending the ramen with the ninja hound. Or if he might come again himself. <em>If he's even the one doing this. What if this is the Hokage's doing? I know Hatake-san said he was concerned, but this is a lot of effort, isn't it? Maybe it's, </em>Lee thought delightedly, <em>a thank you? Maybe I really helped him with Haruno-san? If I was able to help him even a little...</em> Lee shook her head.</p>
<p>Long after dinner, the girl slipped outside again. Instead of climbing the tree, she stood close to the cliff, too close for the ninja hound to see her. She had to ask it. <em>If it can even talk...</em>She had to know. But the creature did not appear. After two long hours, Lee turned away, sullen. <em>Maybe it's waiting till I'm not watching. Or maybe...they really have been watching me and they know I'm eating again. And I'll never see Hatake-san again. </em>She settled against her tree, feeling quite sorry for herself, and moped.</p>
<p>At two in the morning, Lee plodded toward the house with a heavy heart and heavier eyes. A slight wave of movement pulled her tired gaze upward. Her heart caught in her throat: a mess of hair silhouetted against the moon, the tips glistening as bright as the moon itself.</p>
<p>A surge of childish wonder came over her.</p>
<p>Kakashi Hatake could dance across the roofs of Konoha, and his hair glowed like the moon, and he knew a thousand jutsu. A sudden compulsion gripped her, a desire to do something half as fantastic. It urged her up the great tree behind her and, at almost a run, across a thick branch overhanging the building. She descended more carefully, making sure her feet found the tiles soundly before releasing her grip on the branch.</p>
<p>"Kakashi…Hatake," she breathed. He gave her an odd look, as if seeing her for the first time. Lee turned her gaze to her feet. <em>The best reward for saving a life is seeing it well cared for...He said something like that, didn't he? I've made a fool of myself, haven't I?</em></p>
<p>"I thought you would notice me sooner," Kakashi said, with an amused smile. "Pakkun was impressed you detected him so quickly. Maybe he's losing his touch…"</p>
<p>"Is Pakkun the ninja hound?" Lee asked, crouching down next to him, relieved he didn't seem upset with her. <em>Maybe his idea of what's dangerous to civilians is skewed from all his time with ninjas.</em></p>
<p>"Yes, he is. I'm surprised you've heard of them."</p>
<p>"Did you send him, Hatake-san?"</p>
<p>"I did."</p>
<p>"Why?" she asked in amazement, "I mean, how did you know they weren't feeding me?"</p>
<p>"A hunch."</p>
<p>
  <em>A hunch? He isn't serious.</em>
</p>
<p>"Has someone been watching us?" Lee looked around, as if some random ninja would pop out from behind a bush.</p>
<p>"No, no. I just happened to be in the area that first night, and when I saw you looked a little weak, I had Pakkun bring over a few meals while I was busy."</p>
<p>"Hatake-san, I still owe you so much. Please don't put me further in your debt. I fear I can never repay it. I will be smarter and take better care of myself, so you needn't invest any more time or effort into me. I will not risk my life like a fool any longer."</p>
<p>"Then I suppose I'm a much bigger fool than you. I'm always risking my life," Kakashi laughed quietly. He reached into a bag and pulled out a tray full of sweet dango. He handed her a stick and began to eat his own. She stared at the dango.</p>
<p>"Forgive me." She looked down (which was becoming a habit as of late). "I speak poorly around you. I am normally better with words."</p>
<p>He shook his head with a dismissive smile. "'I've been wondering: What do you think, Lee-san? Of your behavior on the day we first met? I have told you I thought you were brave." This question took her aback.</p>
<p><em>What do I think…of my own behavior? What an odd question to ask.</em> She sat back past her heels, her butt landing on the roof. She extended her stiff legs and took an absentminded bite of the dango, chewing thoughtfully. <em>What do I think of my own behavior…Proud? Shameful? Foolish?</em> She shook her head—<em>none of that feels right</em>— sinking further into her mind.</p>
<p><em>What does it make sense to think, then? I was raised to feel ashamed of such behavior. And I endangered my life. That's a foolish thing, isn't it? But Hatake-san just said that if endangering yourself makes you a fool, then he is a much bigger fool than I. And he certainly isn't a fool. </em>She glanced up at his masked face and slid another dango off the stick into her mouth.</p>
<p><em>But he's also a professional. He is paid for a skillset he's developed, and one of his primary jobs is defending others. Doing his job isn't foolish. I risked my life when I have no such skillset. </em>She pulled the last dango into her mouth.</p>
<p><em>He seems to think it was the right thing to do—No, not the right thing, necessarily, but a good thing. </em>Kakashi worked his way across the tray, glancing at the girl occasionally. Lee continued her internal debate unawares. She chewed on the end of the stick in her hand.</p>
<p><em>I really don't know what to think of myself. Of my behavior. But, I do think—I think I would make the same decisions again.</em> She voiced these last few thoughts aloud. Kakashi nodded, and she thought he looked pleased.</p>
<p>"It's possible to feel many different ways, contradictory or otherwise, at the same time. Still, if you feel that way <em>all the time</em>," he looked at her, perhaps meaningfully.</p>
<p>She nodded as she tried to process the words, taking another dango stick when Kakashi held the tray out.</p>
<p>"To risk your life for the sake of others is never foolish, Lee-san. To avoid a battle you can't win is also never foolish. When you desert your morals to fulfill the wishes of others, that is foolish. I value my comrades over my missions, because I know to be looked down upon by others is something I can cope with. To look down upon yourself is much harder and often impossible to live with.</p>
<p>"Shinobi are tools, Lee-san, but our greatest asset and weakness is that we each possess values independent from the guidelines we are given. Most of the time, we make our decisions without consulting the Hokage. And that means our judgement," he said, tapping the side of his head twice, "is where we find our answers.</p>
<p>"We often risk our lives when there are better, wiser solutions. We willingly enter battles we cannot win. We make all manner of stupid decisions. One time I was captured by a rogue shinobi, a particularly powerful jonin at that. And when I told my squad of genin to leave," he shook his head smiling, "those knuckleheads ignored me and fought a battle they could never hope to win. All of us could have died there, but we didn't; they saved me. Three genin. We completed our mission. And we all got out alive.</p>
<p>"As we grow as ninja, our judgement usually improves. Our instincts improve. But our strength of character is what determines our progress. Lee-san, you are not a ninja, but the same truths apply to you. I believe you have a very strong character, and that you would only be foolish if you behaved weakly in spite of it."</p>
<p><em>What reason does he have to tell me this? Why does he come here? Is he just that nice? To trust a shinobi to have no ulterior motives seems like poor judgement. But is that an inherited prejudice? </em>Lee thought of the innocent laughter of Sakura Haruno. Of how open she'd been with Lee. That girl was someone you could trust, surely. <em>It's that mask, </em>Lee thought. <em>How am I supposed to tell if he's being sincere from just one eye?</em></p>
<p>"Well, it seems I've given you enough to think about for one night," Kakashi said, gathering up his bag. "I'll see you around, Lee-san," he waved.</p>
<p>"Wait!" Lee called, quickly. She had to ask. This could be her only chance. "Will you come back, Hatake-san? Will I see you again?" He didn't turn around.</p>
<p>"...When I get a chance." He waved again and disappeared into the night with the causal grace of a stray cat.</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <em>I believe you have a very strong character.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>You would only be foolish if you behaved weakly in spite of it.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>When you desert your morals to fulfill the wishes of others, that is foolish.</em>
</p>
<p>These words swarmed Lee's brain the next day as she hung wet laundry to dry in the hot sun along a line through the yard. The thoughts buzzed incessantly, and her temper rose.</p>
<p><em>You would be foolish…if you behaved weakly…What have I been doing all this time? While Brother has trained and become strong, what have I been doing? This has never been what I wanted. These weak hands and these downcast eyes. What—</em>Big, wet tears raged down her face. Lee mopped at her cheeks with her fists. <em>What's wrong with me? What am I crying for, like some little girl? Kakashi Hatake, damn you! What are you planning?</em> She turned to look at the roof, but the lens of tears magnified the glare of the sun, blinding her. She squeezed her eyes shut, hissing through her teeth, and squatted on the ground, covering her eyes with her palms. <em>You've made me question everything, Kakashi Hatake, but you keep the answers to yourself. Why is someone like you concerning yourself with me? I'm starting to wish none of this had ever happened.</em></p>
<hr/>
<p>The weeks that followed trudged by in a stagnant, humid haze. Every time her mother looked away during lessons, Lee was beating her sweat away with her sensu.</p>
<p>After the first seven nights of bug bites and cicada-induced headaches, Lee resolved that Kakashi was satisfied with the chaos he'd wrought in her mind and had left her to sort it out alone. Instead of spending her evenings staring at the roof or up the cliff, Lee lay on the marginally cooler wood of the porch, only moving to unstick herself occasionally.</p>
<p>The sweet, spring air summer had clung to was finally gone, and everything smelled muggy and earthy instead. Lee's head was permeated by a similar air, and she spent long hours steeping her brain in the same thoughts until they turned bitter and she finally emptied them from her consciousness.</p>
<p>She needed to do something. Anything.</p>
<p><em>The books, </em>occurred to her. She wasn't overly interested in their contents, but a reason to sneak around and defy her parents right under their noses held a certain appeal.</p>
<p>One evening, Lee dug the tomes from their drawer, handling them with a reverence that teenage romance novels did not typically warrant. She concealed them in the skirt of her kimono (a very suspicious image) and did not breathe until she had made it through the entry, the hall, the main room, and out into the back yard. She knelt behind the tree and opened the first book. She squinted and struggled before setting it down to lament the waning of the moon. A week ago, she might have been able to read at this hour, but not now.</p>
<p>From that point onward, Lee snuck into dark corners during all hours of the day, and read her books so fast her eyes were a blur. To compensate for lost time, she performed her chores with unmatched vigor. She swept up great clouds of dust, raked so intensely she left lines in the earth, and, in a few short days, the fish began to fear she was a predator; her hand appeared like lightning, striking into the pond to capture an offending twig or leaf, and they would cower and dart and shrink away into the depths. Her mother wasn't sure whether excess enthusiasm was something she could punish, so she steered clear of Lee whenever possible. She began to wrap breakables in cloth and shelter them in cabinets and closets, for every time Lee scrubbed the floor, it would rumble as an earthquake.</p>
<p>After two such weeks, the hurricane that was Mizuchi Lee began to lose its momentum. She was running out of words to read, and it had grown so hot that running about was unbearable. Even as she read, her attention was fuzzy: pieces of her conversation with Kakashi three weeks ago flung themselves at her as distracting flies.</p>
<p>She longed for fresh cool water and crisp mountain air to rinse her lungs, body, and mind. A blank slate. <em>What story could I spin</em>, Lee considered, <em>to escape for even half a day?</em></p>
<p>On the first day of the fourth week since she'd seen Kakashi, Lee dumped a container of tea leaves into "the ramen bush". When she was practicing tea ceremony with her mother that morning, she feigned shock and embarrassment, announcing she must have been using the wrong ratio for the leaves, for they were completely out. The girl apologized profusely and begged her mother to allow her to gather more before the summer heat dried up the plants in the mountain. After a fifteen-minute lecture on proper technique, her mother assented with the promise that Lee stay near the base of the mountain.</p>
<p><em>As if I would make a mistake like that, after 10 years of lessons. </em>Lee giggled, almost skipping as she made her way through the Old Village toward the mountain. She greeted her neighbors politely and ignored the whispers and judgmental gazes that followed her. She wondered if they knew of her encounter with the bandits, or if it was just the usual dislike that came from being part of the Lee family, the family with the weird son who left to be a ninja and the old house falling into disrepair.</p>
<p>As Lee rounded a corner, the dusty path into the mountain revealed itself, an old red archway marking its origin. She paid her respects to a small spirit house beside it, as she had done since she was little, and began the trek. Shortly after, the path forked and she took the wider path northwest.</p>
<p>It was then that she began to feel the sun's harsh gaze on her back. The pale dirt in front of her blazed white. Yet to either side, the woods seemed dark as night. The leaves had grown thick and opaque since she saw them last, and very little light filtered through the canopy. As the path grew steeper and sweat began to saturate the nape of her neck, Lee considered venturing into those woods more than once. Little over a month ago, she would have wandered aimlessly among the trees, just listening to birds. Now, Lee wondered if she'd spent half her life narrowly avoiding dangers she never realized existed.</p>
<p><em>Sweet mountain water. Cold mountain water,</em> she chanted internally, strengthening her resolve, as the burn in her thighs rivaled that of the sun on her back. She wondered just where the small lake her brother and she used to swim at was. <em>I'm sure Grandma Hatsu will know. I hope she's excited to see me and not angry I came back after last time. But how else would I see her?</em></p>
<p>As Lee neared the crest of the hill, she heard voices. It alarmed her. She shook her head at her foolishness. <em>They must have stationed ninja here to secure the entrance into the village. If I'm lucky, maybe I'll get to see one of the ninja I've met!</em></p>
<p>Lee paused. <em>But then, what if I get in trouble for coming up here? Or if they think I'm an enemy and they attack before I can explain? Maybe I should just pick the tea leaves and go home...</em>Lee looked down the hill, eyes tracing the curves of the path until it snaked out of sight. To her parched mouth, it looked like a river. <em>I can't go anywhere without at least a sip of water. And I'm so sweaty.</em></p>
<p>She continued upward until the small farm came into sight.</p>
<p>Two ninjas lay before her feet, eyes rolled back and limbs splayed, pools of blood growing shallow as they were soaked up by the parched earth. Their headbands reflected a pale gold in the sunlight, and she saw the unmistakable spiral of the leaf insignia carved into the metal plates. Two shinobi. Dead. On the brightest of days, while the birds sang merrily. They were young. One with short, mousy-brown hair, the other with shoulder-length black hair. She looked up at a group of men and one woman. They were all looking at a cat standing in front of them, a red ribbon around its thick neck. As if it sensed her gaze, the cat turned its head and met her eyes. Its eyes were sharp and yellow. One man followed the cat's gaze, caught sight of her, and made an exclamation, but Lee couldn't hear it over the words echoing through her head: "<em>To avoid a battle you can't win is never foolish."</em></p>
<p>"Hatake-san," she whispered, "lend me your strength!" She turned and ran. So fast her heart thundered in her ears. So fast she almost fell forward down the steep decline. So fast she couldn't make a word out of the shouts behind her, nor spare a thought for Grandma Hatsu. She had only one objective.</p>
<p>Someone grabbed her from behind, but Lee tore herself free of her kimono and continued to run. She streaked down the path in nothing but white linen shorts, with her chest wrapped in white cloth. Only when she neared the red gate did Lee look behind to check for her assailants. Nothing. But the second cost her, as she stumbled forward and tumbled down a good twenty feet. She sprung up, dirty, scraped, and bruised, with her hair half-restrained and half a tornado of black. And she charged forward again, into the village.</p>
<p>The neighbors saw nothing but a blur of pale clothes and whirling hair as Lee flew around corners. Her strides were so long and forceful, she spent more time in the air than on the ground. She was free of the Old District in less than a minute, though normally to traverse it took her ten. The ache had left her legs, and the drum in her head had quelled; all Lee felt was the power of her legs propelling her forward.</p>
<p>At last, Lee saw the large red building towering over all others, and each Hokage head came into view. She hurried through the faintly familiar streets, slowing as she reached the entrance to the Hokage's building. Two ninjas stood near the front, one laughing as the other recounted some humorous anecdote. They became stoic and quiet as soon as they noticed her. She jogged up to them and finally stopped, bracing her arms against her knees and panting.</p>
<p>"The Hokage," she breathed out, "I—I need the Hokage. Take me"—a sharp intake— "Take me to him." The two men exchanged glances.</p>
<p>"Look," said the taller man, crouching down with a friendly smile. He had a bandage running across his face and over the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry miss, but the Hokage is receiving a report for a very important mission. We've been told not to disturb him. Are you sure this isn't a problem for the police force?"</p>
<p>"Two leaf shinobi"—her eyes stung terribly—"are dead. This cannot wait." The two men exchanged another glance, this one much graver.</p>
<p>The man with the bandage grabbed her gently by the arm, and directed her up the stairs to the building interior.</p>
<p>Lee gathered herself as best as she could, panting and sweaty, in front of the door to the Hokage's office. The back of one of her thighs burned and hot rivulets of blood were rolling down her calf. The man beside her knocked and entered, guiding Lee into the room.</p>
<p>Beside the desk stood, of all people, Kakashi Hatake. The sight of him, like a mother's hug, was such a comfort that tears were rushing freely down Lee's face before she even felt the impulse to cry. Her face scrunched up and her legs gave out and she fell to her knees with a <em>thunk!</em> She shook her head wildly, blinking. <em>Snap out of it! I need to speak. I need to tell them. Now.</em> Lee squinted through her tears at the face of the kind, leathery old face of the Third Hokage. Lee felt a gentle pressure against her shoulders and back, and green fabric came into her field of vision. She hugged it to her like a blanket.</p>
<p>"Hokage-sama, G-Grandma Hatsu's p-place. Quick…ly," she managed.</p>
<p>Kakashi and the Hokage exchanged glances. "Lee-san," Kakashi said warmly, kneeling down beside her. "Can you tell us anything else?" He offered her a navy handkerchief. Lee nodded, bowing slightly, and took the square with two hands politely. She wiped her face and dabbed her nose, then took a long draught of breath and released it shakily. The muscles of her face relaxed in stages, as she willed it to grow blank.</p>
<p>"Two leaf ninja are"—Lee closed her eyes painfully—"are dead, Hokage-sama." Her voice hardened and grew steady, and her shaky limbs stilled. "A woman with short brown hair and a man with long, dark hair. Both looked pretty young. I saw seven other people there. Six men and a woman. They were...different from the last group, Hokage-sama. More put together. Like shinobi or assassins or something, not poor farmers turned bandit. And…a cat was there too. With a red ribbon. They were all looking at it, when I got there. Like it was talking. The cat saw me, and they realized I was there. I ran away as fast as I could; one of them almost caught me, but I shook him loose. Along with—with my clothes," Lee blushed and rose, pulling her arms through Kakashi's vest and zipping it up. "I didn't see Grandma Hatsu there. She might've been inside."</p>
<p>Kakashi and the Hokage shared another look.</p>
<p>"Kotetsu!" called the old man.</p>
<p>"Yes!" The ninja from before re-entered the room (he had left after bringing Lee in), shutting the door behind him.</p>
<p>"Organize a team of skilled chuunin and immediately head for the northeast entrance. This is an A rank mission. We do not know the extent of our enemies' abilities. However, they have killed two new chuunin. I will send a support team shortly after to back you up, but time is of the essence." Kotetsu gave a salute and took off. The Hokage turned to face Kakashi.</p>
<p>"Kakashi, find another jonin and return to me. We'll head them off from within the tunnel system. I believe Gai is free." Kakashi nodded, then disappeared out the window in a flash, leaping from one rooftop to the next.</p>
<p>"You've been very brave, Miss Lee. Thank you for your succinct report. I'm sorry you had to see something so troubling, again." He walked out from behind his desk and rested a hand on her head. "Rest easy, we will do everything to protect Hatsu-san. She is a dear friend of mine." He smiled kindly.</p>
<p>"I'm going too, Hokage-sama." His hand dropped from her head. He looked at her dirty face and saw as much fear as resolve.</p>
<p>"Are you now?" he asked sadly.</p>
<p>"I am," Lee said, looking directly into his eyes, "though you may try to stop me. I know I might just get in the way… but I—I can't just sit around when someone precious to me is in danger. I knew the only way to protect Grandma Hatsu and this village was to come to you, and so I came. But now—" Lee shook her head, and the remainder of her hair tumbled free to float around her. A red ribbon slipped free to rest at her feet.</p>
<p>"But now I must be true to myself. I cannot desert my morals to fulfill the wishes of others, even if their wish is for my safety. Even if it is the wish or even direct order of my Hokage. I hope you can forgive me for encumbering your shinobi with yet another thing to protect, but I won't back down in this. Even if you try to drag me away, kicking and screaming, I will fight beside your shinobi. If my life is lost, then it is on my shoulders and not yours."</p>
<p>"I will not stop you, Lee-san, though I may wish to. You are not helpless. It is the right of everyone in this village, shinobi or otherwise, to protect what is theirs. I will pray for your safe return, for to me this village is far better with you than without." He brushed the hair from her face. "Just know that every life lost in this village shall rest on my shoulders so long as I live; you are my precious family as Hatsu-san is yours." He pulled her into a warm hug, and her stiff form slowly melted. She pulled away gently.</p>
<p>"You are too soft for your job, old man. And you think too fondly of strangers. You are the Hokage, not my grandfather." Her eyes grew soft. "I have little to offer this village but a dance and some warm tea. But I do not wish to die, Hokage-sama. You will see me again."</p>
<p>"A dance and warm tea could bring much comfort to a weary, old man like me. When you are my age, even the children you have yet to meet are like grandchildren. You are no stranger to me. And one's greatest talents are the ones that cannot be taught. You are clever and brave, and to have both traits at once is no small feat. There is a fire behind your eyes that burns brightly, because you have found purpose. It is what connects you and I as if by blood, and it is what has drawn Kakashi Hatake to you, though his mission finished long ago. You possess the Will of Fire, Miss Lee. Though your manners are very different, you and your brother both have kind hearts and swift legs."</p>
<p>"You know my brother?"</p>
<p>"Ah yes," the old man laughed, "Rock Lee. He's a strange one, that boy. But full of passion. What he lacks in talent, he makes up for in spirit. He's a hard worker. The captain of his squad, Might Guy, was a lot like him when he was younger.</p>
<p>"But you, hmm…you remind me a bit of Kakashi. You want to prove yourself. And you're brave and smart. And you're torn between the rules and your heart. Someone like Rock Lee or Gai will trust their heart without question. I doubt your brother would run away to get help, whether it is the right thing to do or not. Haha. Don't make that face at me, Miss Lee. If I were you, I would have run for help as well. It is the wiser decision, and I commend you for it."</p>
<p>"Hokage-sama, you said that the Will of Fire is the reason Hatake-san has come to see me. What do you mean by that? Did you order him to check on me? If not, how do you know that he has?"</p>
<p>"I gave him no such order. I asked him to confirm you were safe at home, and he did. I did not order him to visit you, nor did I know that he had. I just noted that his interest in you seemed to extend beyond the initial mission. Perhaps he has seen some of himself in you. Perhaps he has seen some potential he'd like realized.</p>
<p>"I cannot give you the weapon of a ninja, Miss Lee," he said, circling around to behind his desk, "for you are not a ninja. Nor do I recommend you engage in any battle." He opened a drawer and pulled something small from the side of it. "Your brain, though untrained, will be your greatest tool in this case. But a simple knife," he said,—Lee reached out and felt the weight of the folded knife drop into her palm—"is a tool you may find a use for. It is nothing special, but it is yours."</p>
<p>"For something to be truly mine makes it special, for everything I have is a loan to my family. And a gift from the Hokage is special in the giving. Thank you, sir," Lee said, holding the knife to her chest. "I will treasure this."</p>
<p>As the old man returned to the back of his desk, the door burst open and a flash of green breached the room, leaving clouds of dust in its wake. Deep laughter welled up to fill the room, as the dust began to dissipate.</p>
<p>"Hahahahahaaaa! I heard there's a little old lady in trouble, and you've found just the men for the job. Leave it to me, old timer!" He shot out a thumbs-up and a sparkling grin. "Might Guy is on the case! I just hope you can keep up, eh Kakashi?" he said, looking over his shoulder.</p>
<p>"I'll do my best," Kakashi said blankly, stepping into the room coolly.</p>
<p><em>So, this,</em> Lee thought, looking over the bowl-haired, green-suited man posing before her, <em>is the Guy-sensei Brother admires so. He's…He's…</em> Her eyes sparkled with tears of admiration. <em>SO COOL! He's just so sure of himself. Wow. I can't believe it's really him. The original Handsome Devil of the Leaf!</em></p>
<p>"Gai-sama! I am Mizuchi Lee." She bowed to him, "I will accompany you on this mission. Someone precious to me is in danger. I have heard much of your many great deeds and am comforted to know someone so great is my ally in this. I am not very strong, but under your guidance I must be of some use."</p>
<p><em>Gai…sama?</em> Kakashi's eye twitched.</p>
<p>"Ha ha ha! I like your spirit, kid. Don't you worry. I won't let them harm a hair on your pretty little head. We'll have you and your granny safe in bed by the end of the night! Or my name isn't," he posed, "Might Guy!"</p>
<p>"Thank you, Gai-sama!" Lee bowed again, her eyes watery with gratitude.</p>
<p><em>This…is not what I expected,</em> Kakashi thought, his eye twitching again. He stared back and forth between Lee and Guy. <em>I didn't expect anything in particular, but this…</em></p>
<p>"Say, Mizu-chan. Did you say your name was Lee?"</p>
<p>
  <em>He's already got a nickname for her?!</em>
</p>
<p>"Yes, Gai-sama!" Lee belted, standing at attention.</p>
<p>"Any relation to a stunning young ninja by the name of Rock Lee?"</p>
<p>"Yes, Gai-sama! He is my older brother. I am a year younger. He has always spoken very fondly of you, Gai-sama!"</p>
<p>"Has he now? That boy," Gai wiped a tear from his eye, "I can't believe I didn't know he had a sister. I've neglected my duty as his sensei and mentor. From now on, I will know everything there is to know about my students! It is my duty! Or my name isn't," he tossed his head, his hair flowing to settle over his eyes. He looked up through it. "Might Guy."</p>
<p>Lee swooned and gazed up at him with sparkling eyes, hands clasped in front of her heart.</p>
<p>
  <em>I don't think I can take this. What kind of sick dream…?</em>
</p>
<p>"Hokage-sama, now that introductions are complete, don't you have a mission for us?" Kakashi questioned, planting his hands on the wide desk and staring into the older man's eyes imploringly.</p>
<p>"Kakashi's right! There's no time to waste!" bellowed Guy, approaching the desk. Lee nodded eagerly and stepped forward as well.</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p>Are you as hype as I am for the next chapter? Tune in for "The Might of Guy," next Sunday (8/2)!</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. The Might of Guy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sorry for the short chapter! I've had such a sleepy week, for whatever reason. Haha. Actually yawning as I write this. Enjoy!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Chapter 8: The Might of Guy</p>
<hr/>
<p>"Sorry!" Lee whispered. One of the tall men in front of her had stopped short, causing her to topple into him. She wondered how they could see anything in the dark tunnel, but the ninja didn't want to give their position away with a light. She knew ninja often performed missions under the cover of night, but she couldn't believe Guy and Kakashi had avoided every cart, boulder, and wooden arch she'd banged herself on so far.</p>
<p><em>Is impeccable night-vision a prerequisite to being a ninja? Brother can't see any better than me and he's much clumsier. Is improved vision really a skill you can acquire…? Maybe there's some kind of jutsu.</em> She filed the question away for a more opportune time. <em>Assuming I live through this, of course.</em></p>
<p>After a briefing from the Hokage, where a wide variety of terms Lee couldn't interpret were thrown about, the two jonin took off for the tunnel system. For security reasons, Lee was not allowed to know the location of the entrance, which meant she had been blindfolded and carried on Guy's back, while he rambled away about her brother. He was, Lee had determined, doing everything he could to keep her spirits up, and she appreciated it immensely.</p>
<p>After a few minutes of dizzying speed, the rush of air and words through her ears had ceased. The steps of the two men grew slower and weightier and echoes chorused around them, so that it sounded like a troop of men marching in the distance. By the time Guy had set her down and allowed her to remove the blindfold, Lee was surrounded by a darkness somehow more complete than the one her blindfold provided.</p>
<p>Another collision interrupted her musings, but it was an arm pulling her toward the wall.</p>
<p>"I saw a light flicker around the corner," breathed Kakashi.</p>
<p><em>I can't even </em>see<em> a corner.</em></p>
<p>"I saw it too," responded Guy. "Mizu-chan, be ready to run. We'll scout a little bit ahead. Three taps means it's safe."</p>
<p>"Yes, Guy-sama." She waited quietly for a minute as they walked ahead. The steady plop of water from the ceiling into a puddle covered the sound of their soft steps. Lee's breath sounded unnaturally loud in her ears.</p>
<p>
  <em>Tip tip tap.</em>
</p>
<p>It was barely distinguishable from the water, but she was sure that had to be the signal. She proceeded slowly, one hand running along the wall and the other groping in front of her searching for any obstacle. She winced when she cut her finger on a sharp rock. She followed the wall around a corner when her foot slid into something.</p>
<p>"Lee-san, wait!" Kakashi whispered urgently, "Don't move.</p>
<p>"W-Why? What's going on?"</p>
<p>"A trap. There's a wire on the ground. Hold your right foot completely still. Don't even breathe, if you can't help it."</p>
<p>A cold sweat started to flood her back, and she struggled to stay stable with her right foot stuck hovering an inch of the ground,</p>
<p>"Okay, I've got it. Guy, move her. Carefully! Find me something heavy. And don't bump into me or we're all toast," Kakashi grunted from the ground, where he was holding the wire in the exact position Lee's foot had shifted it to. "We were really lucky this was loose. Either this trap is old or someone's being messy. Still, if this string vibrates, the trap will probably go off."</p>
<p>"Try this," said Gai, breaking a chunk of loose rock off the wall. He handed it to Kakashi, who slowly replaced the resistance of his finger with the heft of the rock.</p>
<p>Kakashi let out a sigh of relief. "Safe."</p>
<p>"I'm sorry, Hatake-san. I almost got us all killed being careless," whispered Lee, mortified.</p>
<p>"Don't worry about it," Kakashi said, coming up behind her. He ruffled her hair. "Even we didn't notice. I'm just glad I heard the trap starting to engage." Lee nodded, looking down at her feet, or what she must have been her feet. "Hold onto the back of my shirt. I need my hands free. But stay close from now on."</p>
<p>"Yes, Hatake-san," she said. The unfamiliar fabric felt weird, almost slippery or wet, in her hand. <em>What kind of weave is this? I wonder if this is more durable than civilian clothes?</em></p>
<p>They continued forward until they came to a pile of rubble. Beside it hung a single oil lamp from a kunai embedded in the wall.</p>
<p>"After the last incident, the Hokage had part of the tunnel caved in. It's still useful as an evacuation route if the shelters are discovered, so he didn't want to collapse it entirely. A ninja skilled in Earth style could clear this quickly enough without causing any more fissures in the rock. But I'm wondering now if this place is more trouble than it's worth…"</p>
<p><em>But this is how Grandma Hatsu got away last time. She has nowhere to run!</em> Lee realized with horror.</p>
<p>"Hatake-san, Guy-sama, we have to get through here! If Grandma Hatsu escaped this way again, then she must be trapped on the other side. They might have her cornered."</p>
<p>"Don't you worry, Mizu-chan. I'll have this cleared in a jiffy!" Guy laughed, stretching this way and that.</p>
<p>"We have to be quiet, Guy," Kakashi reminded him.</p>
<p>"As a mouse," he replied, with a thumbs-up.</p>
<p>"Hyyyyy-yah! Hwah! Hwa pah! Soi! Tssssoooo-reh!" One rock exploded after another as Guy made contact.</p>
<p><em>What kind of mouse is that?</em> sighed Kakashi.</p>
<p><em>Truly, this is the power of Might Guy! Is this really something a human is capable of? Or has Guy-sama transcended?!</em>' Lee watched in awe.</p>
<p>"Alright. Just one more kick, Mizu-chan. Uncle Guy has got you covered!" Guy assured her, flashing a brilliant smile.</p>
<p>"Thank you, Guy-sama! Your taijutsu is truly remarkable!"</p>
<p>Guy jogged backwards down the passage, then ran forward at full speed. Kakashi and Lee backed away and stood together near the walls.</p>
<p>"Get ready for my"—Guy flew through the air—"DYNAMIC ENTRY!" The rock burst like a dropped melon, sending rubble flying in all directions. Kakashi blocked Lee from any small debris that reached them.</p>
<p>The cloud of powdered rock settled.</p>
<p>"Well," coughed Kakashi, "shall we?"</p>
<p>As they continued forward, the clip-clop of their footsteps blended with the drip-drop of the water, the echoes gradually magnifying until the din muffled all other sounds to Lee's ears. Bathed in hollow darkness and hollow sound, and guided only by the pull of fabric against her hand, Lee began to feel dizzy and disoriented. As if she couldn't tell up from down. She could barely feel her feet on the ground or the breath from her mouth. She opened it to say something, but no words came out. Her head was so full of the sound, and her eyes of the dark, that she couldn't even think a word. Things started to spin, and she became aware of her throat only as panic constricted inside it.</p>
<p>"Release!" The world bounced back into place and Lee rebounded off of it into someone's outstretched arms. She felt a soft breath against her face, and the room slowly filled with a gentle flickering light. A concerned eye came into focus.</p>
<p>"Lee-san? Are you alright? You were under a genjutsu," Kakashi explained. He smiled reassuringly. Lee looked behind her for the source of the arms holding her up. As Guy's face came into focus, her face burned up and she recoiled, falling into the crouched Kakashi and knocking him over.</p>
<p>
  <em>The legendary Might Guy held me in his arms. If the women of the Leaf found out, I'd be dead!</em>
</p>
<p>"It's just me, Mizu-chan. Good old Uncle Guy. That must've been scary, huh?" he asked, helping her up and then ruffling her hair affectionately. "But don't you worry, me and Kakashi won't lose to a lame genjutsu like that. A real man fights with his fists!"</p>
<p>"Thank you, Guy-sama!"</p>
<p><em>I'm the one that released the genjutsu…</em> Kakashi rolled his eyes as he pulled himself up from where they'd forgotten him on the ground. He picked up the just-lit torch he'd been holding and placed it into a wall sconce. <em>This isn't how I thought things with Mizu-chan would go...Wait! Mizu-chan? Ugh, Guy. That walking B-movie is worming his way into my head again. It's Lee-chan. No! Lee-san. Lee-san,</em> he enunciated in his head. <em>Maybe that genjutsu did affect me.</em></p>
<p>"If I was caught in a genjutsu, does that mean the person who used it is nearby?" Lee asked, looking around.</p>
<p>"Not necessarily," said Kakashi. "Some jutsu will even last until the ninja who used it is dead. Though that's not often the case with genjutsu. Listen closely."</p>
<p>Lee closed her eyes and listened. Her eyes snapped open suddenly, "The water! It's not dripping anymore."</p>
<p>"Very good. It was a sound genjutsu. The most common type of genjutsu is visual," he explained, "but sound genjutsu allows the user to maintain a safe distance."</p>
<p>Lee nodded thoughtfully. "So do they know we were under their genjutsu or that you released it?"</p>
<p>"Probably not. Hmm…"</p>
<p>"What's wrong?"</p>
<p>"Guy, do you remember anyone saying something about a genjutsu trap at the briefing after the first fight?"</p>
<p>"I don't, Kakashi. Why? You think it was one of our guys?"</p>
<p>"Just a hunch," Kakashi shrugged, starting forward. "I don't doubt that their operation is more sophisticated this time, but I don't think the enemy would have anyone capable of this caliber of genjutsu. It wasn't incredibly powerful, but it certainly had finesse."</p>
<p>"Wouldn't they tell you if someone was setting up a bunch of traps down here?" Lee frowned.</p>
<p>"If I were in charge, I'd probably leave a few details out of the briefing too. Someone told the bandits about the tunnel, after all."</p>
<p>"But the Hokage just sent us here. He should have warned us! Doesn't the Hokage know everything that happens in this village?"</p>
<p>Kakashi stopped for a second, turned, and blinked at her.</p>
<p>"Whatever made you think that?"</p>
<p>He resumed walking, not waiting for a response.</p>
<p>"Well, he's the Hokage, isn't he?" Lee huffed, jogging lightly to match his longer stride.</p>
<p>"He's a man, Lee-san. Men are fallible. Even Hokages. No one man should hold every key."</p>
<p>Lee nodded, though he couldn't see, and she wasn't sure she understood.</p>
<p>After a minute, she spoke again:</p>
<p>"Do you think there will be more traps?" She tried to sound as casual as possible.</p>
<p>"From our end? Probably not. And hopefully the enemy hasn't been able to establish any type of defense yet."</p>
<p>The tunnel got brighter, eventually. There was, to Lee's shock, electricity here. Dull, red lights lined the sides of the path, which was growing wider so gradually Lee didn't notice until Guy was walking beside her instead of trailing behind. It was still dark, but Lee didn't need to cling to Kakashi's shirt or trace the wall beside her anymore. The ground was smoother too.</p>
<p>They came to a wide door of dark wood. The stone stretched out from the walls in smooth curves to cradle it in place. Burned into the face of the door were the words:</p>
<p>
  <em>To those who seek shelter</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>the Village will provide,</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>But those who seek entrance</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>shall ever dwell inside.</em>
</p>
<p>"Well that certainly sounds like a trap, now doesn't it?" Kakashi said cheerily.</p>
<p>"I'll go first," Guy volunteered. "You stay back, Mizu-chan. Just to be safe. We're not trying to get entrance into the village, so I'm sure we'll be fine."</p>
<p>"This door isn't <em>facing</em> the village," muttered Kakashi. Guy frowned.</p>
<p>The three stood in front of the door, all thinking.</p>
<p>"Grandma Hatsu must have come through here before, so maybe this was an old warning," Lee offered.</p>
<p>Kakashi only hummed in response, studying the door carefully, like it might reveal its intentions if he asked in the right way. He pushed up his headband. Lee glanced at him curiously, only to recoil in shock.</p>
<p>"Y-your eye…"</p>
<p>Kakashi stared back at her unblinking, giving her a moment to process. She stared into the red orb, mesmerized. She felt compelled to do something, though she wasn't sure what.</p>
<p>"Oh," Lee realized, tearing her gaze away forcibly. "That's the Sharingan, then, isn't it?" Kakashi frowned but nodded.</p>
<p>
  <em>How does she know about the Sharingan?</em>
</p>
<p>"I've seen it once before," she provided, "a long time ago." And she left it at that.</p>
<p>Kakashi returned to his inspection of the door.</p>
<p>"The door itself looks to be safe, but I can't account for anything beyond it. Like you said, Lee-san, Hatsu-san was able to make it from the mountains to the village without injury, so presumably whatever jutsu or trap was set here wore off a long time ago."</p>
<p>"About that...Hatake-san, Guy-sama, I know the genjutsu and cave-in were done by Leaf shinobi after the attack, but what about that first trap? Shouldn't Grandma Hatsu have set it off on her way into the village?"</p>
<p>"She might have gotten lucky. Or maybe…No, that doesn't make sense."</p>
<p>"What?" asked Guy.</p>
<p>"I thought, maybe she was the one to set that tripwire. And the ninja on our side left it as an extra precaution. But then, where would she have learned something like that? If she knew how to do something like set up traps to impede the enemy, she wouldn't have left a 12-year-old girl to fight off a gang by herself."</p>
<p>"I told her to," Lee mumbled defensively.</p>
<p>"She's the adult, not you. She's under no obligation to listen to you."</p>
<p>Guy put a hand on Kakashi's shoulder and shook his head. Kakashi shook his own as if to clear it.</p>
<p>"Nevermind. Perhaps she set that trap, perhaps she didn't. But she got through this door unharmed, and so can we. Lee-san, please back up and stay to the side. Guy, open the door on three. I'll be on damage control." He pulled two kunai from his side pouch and stood to one side of the door, poised for action. Kakashi signaled with 3 fingers.</p>
<p>.</p>
<p>.</p>
<p>.</p>
<p>Guy threw the door open and dove into the room, rather than lingering in the doorway where some gruesome trap might spring.</p>
<p>Nothing.</p>
<p>Except, the room…</p>
<p>"Kakashi," Guy called warily. Kakashi leaned around the doorframe.</p>
<p>"I see it, Guy."</p>
<p>Lee shuffled over cautiously. <em>What on earth?</em></p>
<p>"Well, now we know why the warning was on the wrong side of the door. I don't think I'd want anyone entering here, either." Kakashi strode into the room, still scanning it with his Sharingan, before gesturing for Lee to follow.</p>
<p>It wasn't a room so much as a cavern. Lee hadn't realized how far they had descended; the ceiling vaulted high above them. There was a lake, a large reserve of crystal-clear water, rich with minerals but not with life. It was still as a mirror and indeed reflected every stalactite and vein of glowing blue rock above so perfectly that Lee recalled the disorienting genjutsu from before with an uncomfortable squirm.</p>
<p>But that was in the distance and below. To the left and above, the path led up a high ridge that arched slowly toward the ceiling. It was lined with shelf after shelf of scrolls in every color. Some were sized like they were for the hands of children, while others were longer than Lee's body and thicker still. Some had a faint glow about them, or emitted a barely-audible clicking sound, or vibrated just enough to make the air fuzzy about them.</p>
<p>To the right, just out of the door behind her, was an old mining cart, piled high with coal and equipment. It was orange with rust and Lee made a mental note not to bump into it. It sloped downward precariously, a stone wedged under the wheel as a makeshift break, and a shovel leaned against it.</p>
<p>Down that slope, the path led to a sweeping valley of stone before the lake. There were columns and stalagmites here and there, great and strange. They were bulbous and too smooth, unearthly things. Though they were, Lee supposed, as "earthly" as something could be, really. For the most part, however, the ground was flat and intentional, and there were a great many things set upon it.</p>
<p>There were large machines, many with buttons that blinked different colors or with small screens and keyboards with characters that weren't quite right. There were racks and racks of weapons, perhaps as many as there were scrolls above. And there were shelves and chests and tables and barrels and crates and many, many other things.</p>
<p>It was a grand hall, and a strange one.</p>
<p>"This place…" Lee's voice was high to her ears, airy and mystified.</p>
<p>"What is it?" Guy finished her thought.</p>
<p>"A bunker, archive, and armory, it would seem," Kakashi provided. "Among other things…"</p>
<p>"Why?"</p>
<p>Kakashi frowned down at her.</p>
<p>"I guess this is everything we would need if the village fell in war. A last resort. A collection of secrets we don't want compromised and a way to protect them. Even among the people who know of the tunnel, I doubt any but the Hokage, the Elders, and your Grandma Hatsu know of this place."</p>
<p>"It's amazing," Guy marveled.</p>
<p>"Among other things…" Kakashi repeated.</p>
<p>With these words, Lee's excitement and wonder crossed the fine line into anxiety.</p>
<p>"We have to find Grandma Hatsu. Now."</p>
<p>"I don't think she's here yet. If she's coming at all."</p>
<p>"I'm sure she's fine," Guy said warmly, seeing the look on Lee's face. He clapped, a burst of energy that cracked through the overly-still room. Kakashi winced as the sound echoed through the cavern. "Well, let's investigate!"</p>
<p>Lee nodded eagerly and followed the green jonin charging down the path to the area below.</p>
<p>Kakashi tagged behind, his red eye darting around the room.</p>
<p>
  <em>I have a bad feeling about this.</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p>I don't have a title for the next one yet, but I'm hoping for an action-packed Chapter 9! It should be out next Sunday (8/9), so be on the lookout!</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. The Tiger and the Lion (Part 1)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hey all! Sorry this is a week later than expected. Tropical Storm Isaias (hurricane elsewhere) hit my town hard. A huge tree actually fell in our yard and just missed my room! Yikes! I hope none of you were too deeply affected. Don't know if I've ever seen wind like that. The trees looked like they were hula-hooping.</p>
<p>Thank you all for your patience. Hopefully it's worth it! This is a big boy. Two parts, actually. I really had to dig deep. I've written a lot academically, but very little creatively. So this was a huge challenge. But that also means I'm super proud! I apologize for any glaring errors, big or small. I did my best to give it a tired once-over, but I wanted to get this out sooner than later.</p>
<p>Phew! Alright. Let the games begin.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Chapter 9: The Tiger and the Lion (Part 1)</p>
<hr/>
<p>As Lee and Guy tramped all over the vast cavern, opening doors and shoving their heads into barrels, Kakashi spent his own time gnashing his teeth, cringing, and wincing. When Lee actually called, "Grandma-Hatsu? Are you there?" into some dark hallway, Kakashi almost swore. Guy quickly advised her to continue searching quietly, while remaining very loud himself.</p>
<p>Mizuchi Lee's personal mission was to save her beloved grandmother figure from a horrible fate, but Kakashi's was to protect his village and its secrets. So while she and Guy were busy, Kakashi summoned the ninja hound Pakkun. He gave a quick report on the situation—to be relayed to the Hokage—and made sure to include the warning on the door and a request for more detailed information as soon as possible. His small companion's smushed face remained stoic and disinterested throughout, but Kakashi had complete faith the pug would relay every word and intonation precisely. When Kakashi had finished, Pakkun nodded and took off with a single quip:</p>
<p>"You might want to get a handle on those two before they blow something up. There's flash powder in that barrel by the way," he said, jutting his chin toward a barrel Lee was trying to pry open with a pickaxe. Kakashi quickly intervened.</p>
<p>
  <em>I thought she had some sense, but I think she lost it the second she hopped on the Guy-train. And why the hell would she think her grandmother would be in a barrel?</em>
</p>
<p>"Leave no stone unturned, Mizu-chan!" Guy called, from where he was sorting through piles of coal. "You never know what those diabolical fiends are thinking!"</p>
<p>"Yes, Guy-sama! I will search high and low!"</p>
<p>"Do not forget the middle, Mizu-chan! It is often overlooked!"</p>
<p>"I will pay special attention to the middle, Guy-sama!"</p>
<p><em>What are these two on?</em> Kakashi looked from Guy, whose face, green suit, and hands were streaked with coal dust, to Lee, who was making her way back up the ramp toward the tunnel to "search high". Literally. Kakashi cringed.</p>
<p>"Lee-san," Kakashi called warningly.</p>
<p>"Yes, Hatake-san?"</p>
<p>"Please don't set a foot back into that tunnel. We still don't know what kind of 'entering' that door was referring to. And don't touch those scrolls, either. They might be dangerous."</p>
<p>"Yes, Hatake-san."</p>
<p>Kakashi sighed and walked toward the far end of the cavern. <em>Well if you can't beat them…</em>He bit his thumb and summoned his ninja hound unit in a poof of smoke, with the exception of Pakkun, of course.</p>
<p>"Alright, gang. We're looking for an exit to this room. Other than the one up that ramp. If you see anything, or smell or hear anyone other than me, Guy, and that girl up there, let me know right away. Fan out!" With a wave of Kakashi's arm, the ninja hounds were off, bounding, slinking, sniffing, searching.</p>
<p>Lee peered down at the pack curiously, looking equal parts intrigued and intimidated. Kakashi squinted up at her, wondering how many dogs she had met before today. He watched her return to...not ransacking bookshelves, but a slow, systematic scan of the room. He was quite certain, from the way her chin would click into place occasionally, that she had divided the room into quadrants. <em>In the manner of Sasuke…and right after flying all over the room in a frenzy like Guy. Rather impressionable, isn't she? </em>He doubted she <em>realized</em> what she was doing, but he thought he could see the shadow of Sasuke behind her face, which looked much stonier than usual. Kakashi smirked. <em>Copy ninja, huh?</em> <em>No Sharingan, but there's a girl who would soak up any lesson like a sponge. I wonder if that's why Guy took on her brother…</em></p>
<p>"Kakashi," called a gray dog with a tuft of black hair atop his head, not unlike a mohawk. He loped over, head low to the ground and back hunched. Kakashi crouched down to greet him.</p>
<p>"What's up?"</p>
<p>"There's a path over there, behind those rocks. I think your pup noticed too. A hidden door. It's faint, but I smell something behind it. Actually—Do you guys hear that?"</p>
<p>One of the other dogs let out a low, whistling whine, pawing at the stone. He looked back at Kakashi, nibbled at his haunch suddenly, then trotted about in a circle looking anxious.</p>
<p>"Alright, good job, Shiba. You too, Bisuke. I'll take it from here. Wait, what pup?" Kakashi frowned down at the gray dog.</p>
<p>"The one that smells like you." Kakashi frowned deeper and looked up at Lee, who was already making her way down at a jog.</p>
<p>"Ah. My vest," Kakashi nodded. "She's not <em>my</em> pup." The dog shook a little, as if to shrug.</p>
<p>"She's got two legs, doesn't she? Well, you know where to find us." He disappeared with a poof. The others followed suit, forms lost in little puffs of smoke all over the cavern.</p>
<p>"Hatake-san, there's something funny about the wall over there," Lee called.</p>
<p>"I know. Guy and I will check it out. Stay up there, alright? And stay low so you can't be seen from below."</p>
<p>"I want to help."</p>
<p>"You don't show the enemy all your cards," Guy grinned up at her, as he strode over to Kakashi confidently, slapping the other jonin on the shoulder. "You're our ace," Guy smiled handsomely and shot Lee a thumbs up, to which she beamed, seemingly unaffected by how ridiculous he looked covered in soot.</p>
<p>Kakashi and Guy took their places, the first behind a pile of crates to the left of the "door" and the second behind a mound of coal on the right. And then they waited, kunai poised.</p>
<p><em>Tip tap tip.</em> Water dripped from a stalactite above onto the surface of the lake. Ripples spread outward until they grew so fine that the water seemed undisturbed.</p>
<p><em>Tip tap tip. </em>It was <em>not</em> a genjutsu this time, but the sound was unnerving all the same.</p>
<p><em>Tip tap tip.</em> It made sense, being that Grandma Hatsu lived in the mountains, and this cavern was so far below the earth, that it would take her much longer to get here. It made sense then, too, that she had not been fast enough to bring any help from the village when Lee was facing the bandits.</p>
<p>She would be alright, surely. That kind old woman. Maybe there were traps in her tunnel as well, ones only Grandma Hatsu knew to avoid. Maybe she had lost the enemy and even now was making her way through some winding stone corridor. To the cavern. To the Village. To the Hokage. They would find her, or she would find them, and together they would squash this plot for good. The mountains would be safe again. And if Lee's parents disowned her for her part in this adventure, then the girl would move in with Grandma Hatsu.</p>
<p>Together, they would work the land.</p>
<p>Lee would get stronger and older. Maybe she would fight bandits again, and she would repel them with longer limbs and fiercer eyes. And then, when Grandma Hatsu was too old for the labor, they would move into the heart of the Village. Maybe above a bakery or a flower shop. And Lee would meet all manners of people, and they would look at her muscles and tanned skin and think she was a capable sort. She would be not a delicate flower, but a vined fruit that climbed its way toward the light and provided for others. And she would never embroider or fold a tea cloth or dance for anything other than fun. She would be useful. She would answer to no one.</p>
<p>
  <em>Tap tap. Tap tap.</em>
</p>
<p>And again.</p>
<p>
  <em>Tap tap. Tap.</em>
</p>
<p>A rustle.</p>
<p>Those were footsteps. And just a little quieter. Voices.</p>
<p>"...open?"</p>
<p>A thump.</p>
<p>"...open!?"</p>
<p>A little louder.</p>
<p>"...old woman! I'm...games!"</p>
<p>Another thump.</p>
<p>Then, closer and louder and colder. A female voice:</p>
<p>"Open the door, woman. We will know the answer soon. Save yourself the pain."</p>
<p>"Never!"</p>
<p>Lee bolted upright. "Grandma Hatsu!" she whispered loudly.</p>
<p>Kakashi waved at her frantically to get down. She pointed at the door and mouthed the same name. He gave her a nod and a firm look that said, "I know," and then he gestured again for her to get down. She complied reluctantly.</p>
<p>A strangled scream, muffled through stone, pierced the air ominously. A few small rocks crumbled above, landing in the lake and on rock jutting out on the walls.</p>
<p>Lee's heartbeat and breath were loud in her ears.</p>
<p>After a minute of silence, the stone door, several feet thick, slowly slid down into the earth below it. A cat walked into the room. It sniffed the air distastefully. Kakashi narrowed his eyes. It was the cat. <em>The</em> cat. The one that had been in his possession so many times. And he was sure she could smell, if not where they were, traces of him, Guy, Lee, and all the ninja hounds.</p>
<p>Behind her, from the shadows came a man. He was broad and tall, each arm as wide around as Lee's entire body. One fist the size of a small melon. His hair was orange and thick, sideburns and beard bridging the gaps to form a wild mane. Stray hairs grew close to his nose. They looked like whiskers. Despite his bulk, as he padded into the cavern—half dragging, half-carrying a pallid Grandma Hatsu from one melon—he was almost silent.</p>
<p>He wore no shoes, but had a metal staff across his back. On the tip of the staff were two gold hoops, one set within the other and each with smaller hoops of gold looped around them, jingling faintly like a cat with a bell around its neck.</p>
<p>From above, as he turned to look around suspiciously, Lee saw the muscles of his vast back ripple under his skin like those of a mountain lion. She shuddered and fought the urge to edge back. Beside the man, Grandma Hatsu's hair, normally in a rough bun at the back of her neck, was hanging limply around her face, blocking it from view. Lee wanted to see that face desperately. She wanted the old woman to look up, for their eyes to meet by chance, to give her hope and reassurance in a single, meaningful look.</p>
<p>The man let out a low rumble of amusement, gazing around the room.</p>
<p>"So this is the prize your master seeks?" boomed his deep voice. "It <em>is</em> impressive. But I do not see any scrolls."</p>
<p>"We are not alone here, Shishi. Watch your tongue."</p>
<p>The man lowered down at the cat.</p>
<p>"I'm well aware, <em>Tora</em>."</p>
<p>The cat hissed and arched her back, tail flicking angrily.</p>
<p>"Do not call me that, boy. I have suffered for this cause."</p>
<p>Shishi laughed from his belly, "You have grown fat, little friend."</p>
<p>He nudged her with one large toe. She hissed again and swiped, leaving a shallow red gash across his foot.</p>
<p>"You have grown fatter too!"</p>
<p>Then all tension dissolved, and they laughed like old friends.</p>
<p>As this transpired, all Lee could think was, <em>The scrolls! They're looking for the scrolls! </em>Below, Kakashi and Guy were listening closely, studying their enemy and learning as much as they could.</p>
<p>"Come out, dogs of the Leaf," Shishi called, "So I may crush you with my fists!"</p>
<p>"Yes, come out to play, little mice," said the cat, pawing at the ground. "Before the others arrive and I have to share my prey."</p>
<p>Still Kakashi and Guy remained in hiding.</p>
<p>Shishi held up Grandma Hatsu by her thin hair. Her face was bruised, her lip busted, nose bleeding. Her kimono hung half open over her bound chest. She looked ragged and broken, and all hope had left her eyes.</p>
<p>Lee clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle her scream. She sobbed silently into the earth. <em>Oh Grandma Hatsu!</em></p>
<p>"Do you not value your elders in this village? Where I am from, the strength of our youth is second only to the wisdom of our elders. They are the finest of hunters. Come, or she will die!"</p>
<p>Kakashi stepped out from behind the crates.</p>
<p>"We value our elders as much as our young. This woman," Kakashi motioned toward Grandma Hatsu, "is a civilian. You have gotten the information you needed from her, now please let her go."</p>
<p>Grandma Hatsu looked up at Kakashi pleadingly.</p>
<p>"Run, boy," she rasped. "Get the Hokage. It is an evil day in Konoha."</p>
<p>"Release her!" Kakashi demanded.</p>
<p>"Do as he asks," drawled the cat, with a feline smirk. Shishi complied, dropping the woman. There was a quiet <em>crack!</em> as her knee hit the floor. She stumbled to her feet, only to cry out and fall again. Lee shoved her fist in her mouth, tasting dirt. Grandma Hatsu hobbled forward slowly, watery eyes determinedly set on the tunnel door above. She advanced past Kakashi, not sparing him a glance. She had to get to the village. She had to tell the Hokage.</p>
<p>The cat kept her gaze trained on Kakashi, watching for any sudden movements. But Shishi followed Grandma Hatsu's trajectory as she plodded away. His eyes found the door to the tunnel, then panned to the right. Kakashi's heart skipped a beat, but he kept his breath steady and his muscles relaxed. <em>Bringing that girl here was a mistake.</em> <em>But she's too high to be seen. As long as she stays low.</em></p>
<p>"I see scrolls," Shishi pointed upward. Kakashi fought the urge to wince, keeping his practiced eye dull.</p>
<p>The cat looked away from Kakashi for a second, to confirm Shishi's discovery.</p>
<p>"Why are you here?" Kakashi asked suddenly. The cat's head, and Shishi's mane, snapped back toward him. "Why do you need scrolls?" He prayed Lee would have the good sense to ignore his previous advice and help Grandma Hatsu into the tunnel and out of sight. And he lamented the old woman's injury, for which he was partially to blame. She had made such little headway she may as well have crawled.</p>
<p>"We are here to bring glory to our village and restore peace to our mountain," the cat said evenly, in a distinguished voice.</p>
<p>"By breaking into our village?" Kakashi raised a brow.</p>
<p>The cat sniffed in distaste.</p>
<p>"No, ninja. We seek the power hidden here. We need it to protect our village from the petty nobles who seek to destroy our ancient lands for material gain."</p>
<p>"What village is that?"</p>
<p>"The Village of Cats," said the cat and Shishi together.</p>
<p>"I've never heard of such a place," admitted Kakashi.</p>
<p>"That is as it should be," rumbled Shishi. "We keep to Neko Mountain. We are an old village. And a peaceful village. A village where cats and humans hunt and live as one. Most of your ninja cats can trace their roots to our village, for our cats are the quickest and the brightest. But we are no ninja village. We are a village of hunters, who may use jutsu. We are powerful, but unlike you ninja, we do not concern ourselves in the bickering of nobles and lords.</p>
<p>"But our paw has been forced," hissed the cat. "Our trees are being cut. Our animals are being hunted for game by people with no claim to the land. Our land is being razed and plowed, when it is already abundant with food. Lights still burn in the darkest hours of night, disrupting the mountain's slumber. I sought the Village Elder. But he would not raise one paw to help. And so, one by one, I spoke with cat and man. None would sharpen their claws and take a stand. None but the priest, Shishi." The cat turned to her comrade, sharp eyes softening marginally.</p>
<p>"I am the largest man in my village," he said proudly, puffing out his broad chest, "and the great grandson of the elder. I am a priest. And where Yamaneko Shun saw unrest in the mountains, I saw unrest among the gods and spirits of that mountain. They grew weaker and ill. Their lights were fading. And so when Shun sought my help, I followed without question."</p>
<p>The cat continued where Shishi had left off, and Kakashi knew the pair had wanted to share their story and anger for so long, that he was no longer an enemy but an audience. He wished Grandma Hatsu would walk faster.</p>
<p>"Together, Shishi and I left our village in search of the power needed to take our mountain back. We set out, in the earliest hour of morning, when even cats may sleep. We did not seek out the nobles who 'owned' our land. There is no reasoning with these humans. They have lost the way of the mountain. Their roads are too straight. Their buildings—too tall." She shook her head. "They would not understand."</p>
<p>"They would never understand," growled Shishi.</p>
<p>"We journeyed far," said Shun, eyes distant, "through mountain and forest. Until we found an ally. Someone who understood. He <em>truly</em> understood. Our pain. Our anger. Our crying spirits. He said he could give us the power we sought. He could provide the jutsu we need. And he knew of this place, this tunnel and cavern, but not where the entrance lay."</p>
<p>"Shun infiltrated your village, this loud place you call Konoha. With ease. Disguised as a common house pet, she gathered information for months. She suffered much humiliation and injustice"—Shun batted at the bow on her ear testily—"until one day, she heard a rumor of a secret tunnel through the mountains, leading all the way to the Hokage's back door. It was what we were searching for. So Shun and I sought out our ally. He provided us with the assistance of more men than my entire village. Bandits, assassins, rogue ninja. They all scoured the mountain, until they found that old woman."</p>
<p>Shun smirked at the old woman's back, like she was a tasty mouse. "She was suspicious. Too protective. The men called for me and I came. And I realized at once, from the shadows, that she knew the secret. She knew where the entrance lay. But her young chosen-kin protected her, and I hid and watched. She was fierce like the Yamaneko of the mountain. She had the mountain in her." Shun's eyes gleamed.</p>
<p>"She came again, that child, and saw me," continued Shun. "This time, she ran. She was fast. Fast for two legs. I have no doubt she is the reason you are here. If she were younger, I would lead her away in the night and raise her in the mountains." Shun looked wistful, almost longing.</p>
<p>Kakashi's fingers tightened around his kunai.</p>
<p>
  <em>I hope Pakkun reaches the Hokage quickly. I knew Lee-san wouldn't be safe here, but I didn't think they would want her specifically.</em>
</p>
<p>"But that is enough reminiscing. Her chosen-kin has suffered at our hands, so it cannot be. We have need of those scrolls. If you let us take them freely, we will let you and the old mountain-human live. Even though you smell of dogs. If you do not retreat…"</p>
<p>The cat gave the wild man a look. He cracked his knuckles and widened his stance.</p>
<p>"I will crush you," he grinned.</p>
<p>"I can't let you take those scrolls. It will put our entire village in danger. I don't know what your ally told you, but diplomacy is the only way to save your mountain. If you fight the nobles, they will think you are wild and unreasonable, and they will hire the Leaf to take you out. I can speak to the Hokage on your behalf. If your village is truly peaceful, let us be your ally." Kakashi tried to smile as encouragingly as possible.</p>
<p>"It is too late for peace, ninja," glared Shishi. "The damage is done, we must take our land back in whole. We do not wish to share. Or engage in trade. We do not want our location known. All of those things will be asked of us. The Village of the Cats does not have taxes or money. We will not be understood. So we will fight until we are left alone."</p>
<p>Kakashi opened his mouth to retort.</p>
<p>"Beast Hunter jutsu!" said Shishi and Shun as one.</p>
<p>The stripes on the cat's head stretched down her spine and then spread around her body. Shishi's mane of hair flared out and lengthened. Shun's limbs lengthened and her muscles grew, until she stood a foot taller. Not quite a tiger, but a fierce, striped cat with dangerous yellow eyes. Shishi's muscles bulged, and the hair on his arms, chest and legs grew thicker. His pupils narrowed to slits, and his nails and teeth grew sharper and longer. More deadly.</p>
<p>Kakashi thought quickly. He would see how strong they were, before giving away Guy's position. If Shun knew Kakashi was not alone, she seemed to have grown accustomed to the scent and forgotten he was there. If he could distract both the tiger-cat and lion-man sufficiently, Guy might be able to sneak Grandma Hatsu and Lee out of the cavern and into the relative safety of the tunnel. But then, before he could act, with a fierce yowl, Shun bounded straight over Kakashi's head to pounce on Grandma Hatsu, who was almost at the slope that led to the tunnel exit. The woman fell to the ground with a cry of surprise. Lee shrieked above and started to run toward her. Kakashi swore.</p>
<p>Guy launched himself out of hiding and with a flying kick, sent the cat flying into the cliffside, where some of the rock crumbled around her from the sheer force of impact. Shun let out a yelping <em>meow</em>, and Shishi roared with rage, mane bristling. He charged toward Guy, who was turning over Grandma Hatsu while shouting at Lee to stay back. Kakashi swept one of the lion-man's legs out from under him, sending him spiraling to the ground, which shook from his weight as he fell. Shishi grabbed at Kakashi's leg, trying to pull him down with him, but Kakashi jumped backwards out of reach at the last second. The man leapt to his feet in a single motion, then stalked Kakashi, giving him a wide berth as he pulled the staff from his back.</p>
<p>Behind them, Shun wormed herself free of the debris, sliding out where the rocks were lightest, as easily as if through water. She gave a little indignant shake and licked a cut on her paw, before lowering her front half to the ground, and then her back half as well. Her muscles tensed up as she crept forward, stripes furrowing as she compressed.</p>
<p>She sprung onto Guy, teeth bared and eyes like lamps in the dim room. The force of her flight knocked Guy back, but he kept those unforgiving fangs from his neck with a driving punch to her cheek. He flipped backwards as he fell, never hitting the ground till his feet connected. He shook out his hand, bloodied from where it connected with the cat's jaw. Shun was already back on her own feet, circling him. Her eyes glinted dangerously. She was twitchy, and anything similar to humanity had vanished from her eyes. She was commanded by instinct now.</p>
<p>Lee started down the slope, her feet clumsy with panic and shock. She was at Grandma Hatsu's side, far too close to the feral Shun, rolling the old woman over gently, cradling her head. Her quivering left hand grew wet with blood. The woman's skull was cracked.</p>
<p>"Grandma Hatsu!" Lee whimpered, tears flowing like twin rivers down her cheeks and onto the ashen face, so that it seemed like she too was crying. "Oh Grandma Hatsu!"</p>
<p>The old woman raised a hand weakly to the girl's cheek, caressing it so lightly it might have been a breeze.</p>
<p>"What are you doing here, my brave little treasure?" The light in her eyes flickered weakly, like a candle buffeted by the wind.</p>
<p>Lee grasped the hand with both of hers, keeping it from falling back to the cold earth.</p>
<p>"Please don't leave me, Grandma," Lee begged. "I still have so much to learn from you. I can't go back to my parents now. I need you. I belong with you!" She held the hand to her cheek, staring beseechingly into the woman's eyes.</p>
<p>"This world…," she said, "...has so much to offer you, my child. If anyone in this world," blood gurgled suddenly in her throat. Lee gasped and turned her over slightly. The woman choked through the blood, then gasped in a sweet but painful rush of air. "If anyone...in this world was born to live, it is you. You are so vibrant and strong. Do not waste away as I have. You—!" She coughed fitfully, her hand latching onto Lee's forearm like a viper. "You...and your brother...are forces to be reckoned with. Do not lose to him."</p>
<p>Grandma Hatsu choked and spasmed, Lee sobbing onto her chest, begging her to stay. Shishi and Kakashi grew still. Kakashi's eyes dulled. Guy stood, staring down at the pair tearfully. Conscience returned to Shun, and she looked away in discomfort.</p>
<p>Grandma Hatsu grew still and all was silent.</p>
<p>Then, sharp and grating:</p>
<p>"The sna-ake!"</p>
<p>Grandma Hatsu choked through her blood, eyes wild and fearful. Her body shot upward for a second.</p>
<p>"It is...the snake!"</p>
<p>And she fell back to Lee's lap and the earth, the fear still contorting her face as it stiffened in death.</p>
<p>"May your soul rest in the mountain of your fathers," Shishi prayed solemnly, striking the ground with the foot of his staff. The vibration rang through the metal rod and the gold rings chimed, a ghostly knell that rang in their ears long after the sound had faded. He bowed his head.</p>
<p>As the chime faded, reality rushed back. Grandma Hatsu's warning hit Kakashi like a hoof to the chest. <em>The snake. </em>Cold sweat slid down his spine. <em>The snake. Their ally…is...</em>He looked to Guy, who was already staring at him. For a second, they shared in fear. And then, just as Shishi picked up his staff, and they prepared to fight again, there was a flood of footsteps, echoing in the lower tunnel beside them.</p>
<p>It was not a march. It was like a chorus of cicadas, utter chaos with no rhyme or reason. It was impossible to tell how many people were making their way into this belly of the earth. It could have been five. It could have been a hundred.</p>
<p>"Guy!" Guy nodded in agreement, raising his fists. They had to take these two out before more arrived, or they would be overwhelmed.</p>
<p>Kakashi struck, Shishi dodged. Shishi swept the floor with his staff, but Kakashi jumped. Shun pounced, Guy spun. Guy punched, but Shun rolled. They all danced around Lee and her fallen grandmother, as she cried quietly and mourned, trading blows and dealing slights. The lion-man and cat did not use her life to bargain, but respected her grief. As if it was not of their own doing, but some unfortunate consequence of the ways of the world.</p>
<p>Kakashi felt his body growing tired. Guy seemed to be gaining the upper hand in his own fight; while the striped feline seemed ragged and moved jerkily, he was still full of energy and flowed from one move to the next. True to their word, Shishi was no ninja, and Shun was no ninja cat. They had used a jutsu to supplement their strength and heighten their instincts, but they did not fight with ninjutsu.</p>
<p>After Shishi landed a blow square in Kakashi's gut, knocking the air from him,—<em>How can someone so large be so fast?!</em>—Kakashi knew his taijutsu would not be enough. When Shishi charged him again, Kakashi twisted and, with the help of his chakra, sent the giant flying back into the crates with a perfect kick. Shishi groaned, struggling to extricate himself.</p>
<p>"Ox!"</p>
<p>.</p>
<p>.</p>
<p>.</p>
<p>"Hare!"</p>
<p>.</p>
<p>.</p>
<p>.</p>
<p>"Monkey!"</p>
<p>.</p>
<p>.</p>
<p>.</p>
<p>Kakashi gripped his wrist.</p>
<p>"Lightning Blade!"</p>
<p>Lee looked up blearily.</p>
<p>A blue light blazed in the palm of his hand. A ball of electricity striking outward in every direction. The shrill chirp, trill, and chitter of a thousand birds crackled through the air. The room around him was darker than dark against the dazzling glare of the lightning chakra.</p>
<p>He was the only one in the room, hair blazing blue in the cool light.</p>
<p>He was the only one in the cavern, flying across the stone so fast he ceased to be human.</p>
<p>He was the only one in the world, as the blade planted in the stomach of the dumbfounded Shishi, who froze for a second, then soared backward like a feather in a gust, impacting the wall fifty feet away.</p>
<p>It was like a judgement of a god. That was the <em>weapon of a god</em>. Lightning in the hand of man.</p>
<p>And Lee was in awe.</p>
<p>She looked from Kakashi, who still clutched the wrist of his blistered hand, sparks sputtering about it, to the unconscious Shishi, and back. All her grief was forgotten. Something surged in her chest. Something awoke. Some strange light filled her heart and eyes, and all the rest of her. This world was <em>full</em>. She needed to see it.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. The Tiger and the Lion (Part 2)</h2></a>
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      <p>Chapter 10: The Tiger and the Lion (Part 2)</p>
      <hr/>
      <p>Lee didn't see what happened next. But soon, the cat Shun was unconscious, and the first of the new enemies came rushing into the room. Men and women dressed in every color, with weapons of every kind. Guy ushered her away, up the slope, and she did not protest, though leaving Grandma Hatsu burned her soul. She sat numbly up the top of the ridge, past the door, for without Grandma Hatsu to ask, they could not know for sure if it was safe to leave that way.</p>
      <p>They entered the room in droves. Dozens of people, many born fighters. Yet in spite of their previous scuffle, Kakashi and Guy, back to back, repelled bandit after ninja after mercenary with such speed and elegance, they might have been enjoying it. They were clever and quick. Guy punched and kicked with power and purpose, while Kakashi parried and threw, relying more on the weight of his enemies than the strength of his blows. Guy relished the thrill of combat, laughing and exchanging counts with Kakashi. Kakashi did not make a point of falling behind, but seemed remarkably indifferent to the battle. His every move exhibited a casual grace that was not lost on Lee.</p>
      <p>She watched in a daze, forgetting herself and the danger, entranced by the prowess of the two jonin.</p>
      <p><em>One of those men...is the one teaching my brother everything he knows. My brother is going to be...someone like that?!</em> It was more than she could imagine. Might Guy was like a hurricane compressed into the body of a man. And he believed her brother, who had lost to his little sister at playing ninja so many times, would surpass him. Her brother, who had so often tripped over his own feet. Her brother, who could not perform ninjutsu or genjutsu.</p>
      <p>And <em>Kakashi Hatake</em>.</p>
      <p><em>He's terrifying, that man. </em>Lee trembled. She didn't know that a man could possess so much power. She had only seen a handful of ninjutsu in her life. Something like that...<em>it can't be real.</em></p>
      <p>Kakashi threw a glance her way, as if he heard her thoughts, as he twisted around with the help of Guy to avoid a spear thrust. As their eyes connected, or her two to his one, a jolt of electricity—something like fright—coursed through her, snapping her out of her daze. He looked tired. Guy too. They were growing slower, if only a little, and still more enemies were funneling into what had become a battlefield.</p>
      <p>
        <em>There's so many of them! How did so many get through the mountains and woods unnoticed?</em>
      </p>
      <p>A feeling of urgency rushed through her brain, spurring her to action.</p>
      <p>She turned to the shelves, crouching and scanning the scrolls for something of use. She couldn't just sit.</p>
      <p><em>There has to be something. Some jutsu I can use to help Hatake-san and Guy-sama. Or—</em>her heart clenched—<em>to heal Grandma Hatsu. (If it's possible to summon lightning, then maybe healing a woman near death or who just died isn't impossible.) </em>She didn't believe it, but the thought kept her steady.</p>
      <p>They were all labeled, of course. The scrolls. But with a single character followed by a series of numbers. In her frustration, the girl snatched up a scroll at random. What else could she do? A white scroll with red borders. The parchment was a bit old, yellowing with age. At any other time, she would have handled it gingerly, but now she thrust it open, laying it on the dusty stone, and unfurled with it with a sweep of the hand. It was written in strange characters, perhaps some kind of code or a foreign language. Or an older variant of her own. There were some illustrations, but without the instructions, it was too vague for her to derive much meaning. <em>I can't read this. What if I can't read any of them? What do I do?</em></p>
      <p>She unrolled the paper further, struggling to keep the stubborn thing flat, until she reached its end and saw something that struck her.</p>
      <p>
        <em>Is that...an explosive tag?</em>
      </p>
      <p>She'd heard about them before. "A paper bomb." In a rush of excitement, she seized another scroll, from the next shelf up. A shorter one. She unrolled it in one fluid movement. <em>Another one! Are these </em>all<em> bombs?</em> She grabbed another and checked. And one from two bookcases over. <em>They are!</em> She surveyed the small library, the fortune of knowledge before her. The cogs of her mind spun wildly, contemplating how she might blow it all up and for what benefit. She tried to think back to her brother's notes.</p>
      <p>A stray kunai embedded itself in the shelf behind her, and she barely held back a cry of fright. She shook her head, suppressing the rush of adrenaline driving her toward motion. Right now, she needed to think. That was the tool the Hokage had said would serve her best.</p>
      <p>
        <em>Paper bombs. A versatile tool and weapon used by all levels of ninja. Triggered through proximity, time, physical contact, hand signals, high chakra concentrations, or when in range of trigger tag. All varieties are activated by exposure to fire. The trigger depends on which characters are written on the tag. And this one says...nothing at all. So that's useful. Invisible ink?</em>
      </p>
      <p>Lee sighed and leaned over the edge of the cliff. Ninja and bandits swarmed through the rock wall like wasps from a hive disturbed. Kakashi and Guy were powerful. They were holding their own. But they were also sweaty and covered in cuts, some little and others more alarming. Lee was all too aware that it only took one sharp kunai to pierce the heart or slit the throat. If she, a child, could inflict harm on a group of bandits, then trained fighters, however outmatched, could hope to break through a jonin's defense through luck and sheer number. She couldn't just wait.</p>
      <p>Guy snatched up the metal staff previously used by Shishi, and twirled, jabbed, and swept away the throng. One man Guy hit so hard he flew twenty feet into the vast heap of coal Guy had dug through earlier. The mass responded with a violent plume of black dust, mushrooming up and slowly dissipating in toxic swirls, only to settle slowly in a thin film.</p>
      <p>Lee frowned and returned her attention to the riddle that was the scrolls.</p>
      <p>
        <em>If I were the Hokage or whoever made this place, why would I want to blow up a bunch of scrolls?</em>
      </p>
      <p><em>To keep the information hidden, </em>she answered herself.</p>
      <p>
        <em>And when would I want them to blow up?</em>
      </p>
      <p>
        <em>When they are taken en masse out of the shelter, right? Here, they can only be studied where they can be protected. Why else store them here?</em>
      </p>
      <p><em>But what about the door? </em>Lee looked to her right at the troublesome block of wood marking the tunnel from which they'd come.<em> It's warning must relate somehow. </em>She grimaced, remembering its cryptic inscription.</p>
      <p>
        <em>If you're looking for shelter, the Village will provide. We've found blankets, rice, and clean water. So that all makes sense. But it also says if you 'seek entrance', you'll be stuck here forever. Which means you either die or the way out is blocked somehow.</em>
      </p>
      <p><em>Well there is one thing I </em>can<em> test. </em>Lee crept over toward the door, staying low to avoid detection. Kakashi had explicitly ordered her not to go through the doorway again, but what option did she have? If she couldn't understand the message on the door, she wouldn't know how to use the scroll-bombs to their advantage. Even if the two jonin subdued every enemy, Grandma Hatsu would bleed out (<em>she has to be alive</em>) before this onslaught could end. It was the only way.</p>
      <p>A few paces away from the door, Lee drew the Hokage's knife from the lower right pocket of Kakashi's vest. With a somewhat guilty flick of the wrist, she sent it skating through the doorway. Nothing happened. She crept further to the door and slid one foot through, and then joined it. She took a few steps forward. Nothing.</p>
      <p><em>Alright, well there's that solved. </em>She closed the door halfway to look again at the words emblazoned upon it in the dim red light.</p>
      <p><em>Wanting information or to steal jutsu isn't the same thing as seeking entrance. Maybe it means if you want to come to this place, as opposed to needing to, then you can't leave it? But it's not like this place is sentient. How would it know? </em>Lee ran a hand through her wild hair, surprised to find it wet with nervous sweat.</p>
      <p><em>Ugh. We don't have time for this! The scrolls are the only thing I saw here that could trap someone. They could blow you up, or blow up the exits. If </em>I<em> took the trouble of carting this many scrolls into a hidden shelter, I wouldn't want just anyone walking off with them. If a traitor or enemy got their hands on one, the only way to be sure would be to blow them up or trap them here. I opened those scrolls and they didn't explode, so there must be some trigger tags in the doorways. That's the only thing that makes sense. At least...it's all </em>I<em> can think of.</em></p>
      <p>Lee nodded with resolve, retrieved the knife, and rushed back to where the scrolls lay on the ground. She was tempted to throw the scroll out the door to check, but then,<em> blowing up our exit seems like a very poor idea, indeed</em>. And if it worked, it would draw attention to her. Anything she did, really, was going to give her cover away, and then Guy and Kakashi would rush to protect her. She needed a backup plan too.</p>
      <p>It just so happened that the girl had a well-stocked jonin vest at her disposal. It felt rude to go rifling through it, but her need outweighed propriety. Lee pooled the contents of every pocket in front of her lap and took stock. An abundance of coupons. She raised a delicate brow. Food pills. Needle and thread. Grocery list. A spool of wire. A roll of explosive tags she almost dismissed as more coupons. A handkerchief. A house key. And the knife the Hokage had given her.</p>
      <p>The girl tied her hair back tightly, peeling it away from her neck and face, and took a deep breath. She gazed down at the two ninja below, still surrounded on all sides. Only ten minutes had passed, but that was a rather long time to be fighting.</p>
      <p>She thought and thought, and then she had a plan. She began working, crafting, using every tool available.</p>
      <p>She needed the biggest scroll, first, a 6-foot monstrosity. So she went to it and tipped it onto the ground carefully, making sure the beginning faced her. It had a seal taping it shut. She ripped at with her hands, clawed at the corners, but it wouldn't come off. She huffed indignantly. It needed a hand sign to release. But maybe...<em>The knife!</em> Lee took it up, gripping it tightly in one hand, and pulled out the blade. She carefully cut through the seal as smoothly as if it were air. A character on the side of the knife glowed faintly. Lee wondered if any other knife would have done the job.</p>
      <p>She unrolled the scroll by about ten feet, an awkward two-handed and two-legged effort. That small amount did not lessen the bulk of the rest of it even slightly. The whole thing must have been several hundred feet. It was flexible and more like fabric than paper. She hoped it too had an explosive tag at its end, but there was no way to be sure. That wasn't a necessity though.</p>
      <p>She twisted the beginning of the scroll around herself, pinning it with her body weight, praying it didn't drag her with it. Then she gave the remainder a sharp kick. It landed on the ground below with a <em>thump!</em> and rolled farther and farther away.</p>
      <p>"Hatake-san, Guy-sama! Up here, quickly! Bring Grandma Hatsu!" She yelled as loudly as she could. Her voice sounded so high and childish to her ears. Not at all persuasive or impressive. But they heard her, even over the roar of battle. And through some miracle, they even listened.</p>
      <p>They leapt across ninja's backs and over strange machines and were by her side in less than a minute. Grandma Hatsu was draped across Guy's back, her blood dying his jumpsuit as dark as the soot. The staff was still in his right hand, and he quickly tossed it aside, as if it might bite Lee.</p>
      <p>"What are you doing?" shouted Kakashi at her, a few feet away but barely audible over the clamor below. Lee watched the scroll slow to a stop right in front of the far exit. She was rather impressed by her aim, or maybe her luck. It was just short, but it would have to do.</p>
      <p>"I need you to tip these bookshelves over! They're full of paper bombs. We need to get them into that exit! We can send them down this scroll like a ramp. And plant some explosive tags on a few of them to start a fire just in case the exit isn't the trigger."</p>
      <p>"You want to blow up the exit? This whole place will go with it. There's coal dust everywhere!"</p>
      <p>"Grandma Hatsu needs help!" Kakashi gave her a pained look and opened his mouth to—"And if we run, they'll get away or steal these jutsu or infiltrate the village. We have to do something! You two are strong, but there's too many of them. It's not worth the risk!"</p>
      <p>Kakashi looked at Guy, and Guy looked at him, and the two considered the girl's plan. Their enemies were already making their way up the ramp on the right, and the ninja among them were running directly up the cliffside to the overhang. Guy knocked the fastest off.</p>
      <p>"We'll try it," Kakashi nodded, at last. "But the blast might kill us. So you need to get out of here first."</p>
      <p>"I won't abandon you. This is my idea, and if it's the death of me, then so be it!" Lee glared defiantly up at him and Guy.</p>
      <p>"You're a child!"</p>
      <p>"I'm a villager as much as you! I have a right to protect our people!"</p>
      <p>"What makes you so sure it's the exit over there that makes these blow?"</p>
      <p>"I think it's both."</p>
      <p>"You think?"</p>
      <p>"It's a hunch!"</p>
      <p>Kakashi groaned, helping Guy kick off a few ninja on the edge of the cliff.</p>
      <p>Seeing the enemies surging up the ramp, Guy ran over toward the door and tipped over a cart of coal, sending the rocks tumbling down to slow their ascent.</p>
      <p>"I'll be over here covering our escape! Kakashi, you get those scrolls a'rolling!"</p>
      <p>Kakashi swore under his breath, but untangled Lee from the end of the scroll and pinned it to the stone with a kunai. He tipped over shelf after shelf, letting Lee shepherd the scrolls onto the makeshift slide. She plastered several of Kakashi's tags on the scrolls as assurance, and occasionally tossed a few scrolls into the piles of coal around the room. If she was going to destroy this place without the Hokage's consent, she was at least going to do it properly.</p>
      <p>
        <em>BAM!</em>
      </p>
      <p>At the first explosion, Lee threw herself to the ground on instinct. Kakashi grabbed her by the nape of the vest and sprinted down the arch toward Guy. As Kakashi pulled her from the ground, Lee snatched up the priest's staff without thinking. It felt cool in her grip. Grounding. And it felt wrong to leave this place without it.</p>
      <p>The bowl-haired jonin was fighting off a horde of bandits and multiple mercenaries, who were ruthless in their panic to escape the cavern, even if it meant running directly into the arms of their enemies. Below stalactites were crashing down on the mob, the small impaling men and women, and the large crushing several at a time. The air was full of smoke and the sound of coughing. Coal was on was on fire. <em>People </em>were on fire.</p>
      <p>The whole room turned blindingly light when the barrel of flash powder exploded. For a second all seemed still. And then the rock above <em>them</em>, above the two Leaf shinobi, and the girl and old woman, started to crumble and fall. Cracks, widening with every second, spidered out beneath their feet. As men and women thundered toward them like a tsunami, Kakashi hollered at Lee to tuck her head and threw the girl unceremoniously straight through the half-open door to the tunnel.</p>
      <p>She wailed in pain and shock as her right shoulder, elbow, hip, and knee all hit the ground and skidded. The staff left her hand and rolled away. Her head swam and she blinked away stars. She rolled onto her back, moaning, tears pricking at her eyes, then struggled to her feet. "Kakashi Hatake!" she yelled at no one in particular.</p>
      <p>Lee checked her wrist, which was wrapped twice around with wire, and breathed a sigh of relief. <em>I'll show you an Ace, Guy-sama.</em> As if he heard her, Guy dove into the tunnel, Kakashi hot on his heels, wrestling off a woman in purple ninja garb and throwing her away like she was nothing.</p>
      <p>"Run!" Guy yelled.</p>
      <p>He zoomed past Lee in a blur of green, Grandma Hatsu still ashen and slung across his back. In the hall behind, screaming hordes were stumbling over coals and scrolls to follow them.</p>
      <p>Kakashi grabbed Lee's elbow and pulled her after him.</p>
      <p>"Wait!" she yelled, unwinding the wire starting to constrict her wrist.</p>
      <p>"Keep moving!" he ordered.</p>
      <p>She half-ran, half-tripped ahead of him, tugging the wire in her fingertips. Kakashi looked behind just in time to see a scroll drag across the floor into the threshold of the tunnel. Right as the purple woman (returned) was stepping over it, the scroll exploded. The heat was so intense the doorframe lit like a torch and crumpled away in char and dust. The rock around it held for a second, then fell all at once, leaving them alone in the glowing red of the tunnel.</p>
      <p>Kakashi shook his head in disbelief, then scooped up the girl, whose arms were wrapped protectively around the steel staff. She couldn't move very quickly with her injuries. The ones he had caused. Then he ran and ran, listening as the earth heaved behind them.</p>
      <p>"You were right!" he yelled into his arms, where he thought her ear might have been. She shouted something back, but Kakashi couldn't hear.</p>
      <p>After several minutes, which felt like hours, the roars of the earth faded to be replaced by sounds of distant shifting. Rivers of rock settling into a new shape, where they might rest for thousands of years to come.</p>
      <p>Louder in his ears were the sounds of Kakashi's own steps, of his heavy breathing and the blood pounding in his ears. Guy was panting ahead of him, but showed no sign of stopping. And in his arms—depleted entirely in mind, body, heart, and soul—Lee sank into the kind void of sleep.</p>
      <hr/>
      <p>Well, please let me know what you thought if you get a chance. Those two were a wild ride for me! XD</p>
    </div>
  </div>
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  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. It has to be you!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Didn't really get a chance to proof the whole thing, so sorry for any little errors. Just too tired, man. *yawns*</p><hr/><p>Chapter 11: It has to be you. No one else will do! Please…!</p><hr/><p>Lee woke with a jolt. Or maybe she just woke, because that was how she'd risen most every morning since that fateful encounter with the bandits. But unlike those mornings, she was not curled up on her futon, tangled in covers. And it was not morning. She was in a dark tunnel, and though this whole affair felt like so very long ago, the journey back to Konoha could only take so long. She couldn't have been asleep for more than twenty minutes.</p><p>The ground was swaying beneath her gently. No, that was arms. Those were the arms of Kakashi Hatake. And around her bicep was the hand of Kakashi Hatake. Perhaps the same hand that had summoned lightning to strike down his foe. The girl's arms and legs tightened around the staff draped across her curled form. It's gold finial pressed into her cheek, and the hard, cool metal was more comforting than any pillow.</p><p>Kakashi didn't mind the minor inconvenience the cat-priest's staff posed. Sometimes the tunnel would narrow, forcing him to proceed at a slight diagonal so it did not scrape against the stone walls. It was something to focus on, at least. He wouldn't pretend to understand what comfort the rod offered the girl. Maybe it was a manifestation of shock. He shrugged to himself. <em>If it helps, it helps.</em></p><p>A few paces ahead, Guy still shouldered the old woman. A few minutes after Lee had fallen asleep, they had checked her for a pulse, listened for breath.</p><p>There was nothing left to Ume Hatsu but the shell she had once inhabited.</p><p>And so they had slowed down, making the long trek back up to the world of living in silence. Even the eternally optimistic Might Guy had no words. While the village was safe for now, the cavern was lost, dozens of people had died, and Grandma Hatsu's last words were still fresh in their minds. When they were joined by Pakkun, it did nothing to lessen the hunch in their shoulders.</p><p>"<em><strong>Don't remove anything from the cavern. Be careful of cave-ins. Try not to break anything. Keep the girl safe."</strong></em></p><p>Well.</p><p>They had removed many things from the room. They had caused a complete cave-in. And they had broken everything. The girl was alive, but...they could only hope she wasn't broken too. She had still seemed spirited as they made their dramatic escape, but she looked about as rough as one person could. Dirt and ashes mixed with dried sweat caked her legs and arms. A red ring around her wrist left from the wire. Cuts and bruises from top to bottom.</p><p>"Grandma Hatsu," whispered the weary child in his arms. She wriggled weakly, until Kakashi had to stop and set her down carefully, gripping one little arm in his left hand and supporting her back with his right. She started walking on her own, a little unstable, but it seemed her injuries were not as bad as they looked. She was trying to catch up to Guy, to the woman he carried, but she was much slower than him.</p><p>"Lee-san," Kakashi said gravely. She turned gradually to look at him. He shook his head. And she nodded, because she already knew. And she fell back to walk behind him, relying heavily on the staff. "Why did you bring that?" he asked mildly. It was better than silence.</p><p>"I...I'm not sure really. It felt important. To remember, I guess." And Kakashi nodded.</p><p>When the tunnel started to lighten, Kakashi looked back, and Guy turned around.</p><p>"We made it," said Guy, as if to tell Lee that she had gotten through the worst of it. That there was hope on the other side. She smiled softly and bobbed her head. Loss was still heavy in her eyes and in her manners, but she did not seem angry. Like she would rage at the world. It was a change for Kakashi, compared to the volatile trio he normally dealt with.</p><p>"We have to cover your eyes again," Kakashi said idly, drawing a spare handkerchief from the pocket of his pants.</p><p>"Kakashi," Guy said tersely, "now's hardly the time to worry about—"</p><p>"It's the rules," said Kakashi and Lee at the same time. Then: an explanatory "It's safer for her" from Kakashi and an "I don't want to cause you any more trouble" from Lee. With that, the silver-haired man tied the fabric round her eyes, pulled the girl onto his back, and exited the tunnel. Behind, a befuddled Guy attempted to process the abrupt and unexpected concord between the generally rule-abiding jonin and the consistently willful teenager.</p><p>When they had left the tunnel system entirely and were nearing the Hokage's office, Kakashi set the girl down and gave her the OK to remove the blindfold.</p><p>Lee blinked as the village revealed itself to her, first as hazy lines and vibrant color, and then as distinctive buildings and roofs, straight and curved, bodies the pale grey of rain but tiles traversing the rainbow that must follow. In the jaunty light of day, it was a fanciful playscape belying the foundation of bones that rested beneath it. And it was not for her. It turned her stomach. It was not for her comrades. It was for the rest. For the ones going about their everyday business. For the ones hanging laundry in the sun. For the ones watering flowers or sipping tea. For the ones complaining about the weather.</p><p><em>Is this what it means to be a ninja? </em>Lee wondered, trailing listlessly behind the jonin like an over-walked dog. <em>To visit Hell, to climb your way out, and then to return to a world where only a select few knew what lurks below? Is this the path my brother has chosen to walk?</em></p><p>She was left to her thoughts for several minutes as they proceeded, the urgency of the hours past replaced by a halfhearted attempt to arrive at some destination at some point in time. And since Konoha was a ninja village, even if she were scraped and beaten, none of the odd looks Lee received would linger long. As long as she walked with even a pretense of purpose, her business could remain her own. It was a small comfort. Until:</p><p>"Guy-sensei! You've returned from the Hokage at last. I am eager to begin training, now that our mission is complete!"</p><p>Rock Lee was running toward them, hair a perfect dome, each brow worth three of hers,, and limbs wrapped in the same green as his teacher. Behind him trailed the beautiful and gifted kunoichi Tenten and a boy with a long sheet of brown hair and sterile white, billowy clothes.</p><p>"Brother!" called the younger girl.</p><p>"Mizuchi!" bellowed Rock Lee. "Are you here to welcome me ba—What! Who did this to you, Sister?" He turned left and right, whirling his head around in search of the culprit. "Was it him?" he pointed. "Or her?" Mizuchi shook her head. "Or him?!" He pointed at an old man sweeping in front of his shop. He took her silence as an answer. "I will show him that to mess with Mizuchi Lee is no laughing matter!" He was about to march over when, with a musical laugh cut off by a hysterical sob, Mizuchi threw her arms around him and buried her face in his shoulder.</p><p>"Mizuchi?"</p><p>She gripped him tighter, nails digging into his upper back, her tiny form shaking in silent sobs.</p><p>"Mizuchi!" he pulled away and gripped each of her shoulders tightly in his hands.</p><p>"Oh, Brother!" she wailed, sparkling grey eyes meeting his determined black.</p><p>"Tell me what has happened. Your brother will punish the one responsible! This I swear to you!" The girl stared into his eyes, then shook her head and turned to Guy for help.</p><p>"Who...is that?" asked Rock Lee, his hands slipping from his little sister's shoulders. He took a step forward, and Guy took a step back. "Sensei, who is that on your back?" Guy took another step back. His eyes were wide and filling with tears. Every fiber in his body told him to run. To not let his protege see. To keep that precious child safe.</p><p>"Lee," he said, voice deep and solemn. "This is Ume Hatsu. She has—has…"</p><p>"Has passed," finished Kakashi, levely, "under unfortunate circumstances. I'm very sorry for your loss." He stared dully at the boy, the mini-Guy, making no effort to soften the blow. It wasn't a blow you could soften, really. Or, at least, Kakashi had never learned how.</p><p>"Let me see her!" Rock Lee demanded. "Sensei, it can't be true. She's just asleep. Let me see her!" Guy took another step back, terrified.</p><p>"Let him see her," Mizuchi said softly, who had composed herself the second her brother's voice had shook. Guy complied reluctantly, laying the woman gently on the road. Rock Lee leaned over her and spoke to her. He checked her pulse. He listened to her heart. He shook her lightly. He shook her roughly. Her head lolled across the ground with no resistance. Tenten had a hand to her lips and Neji was watching the scene calmly, emotions shuttered by his carefully arranged face. Guy pulled his student away when he started to shout, wrapping his arms around the boy and refusing to let go.</p><p>"No. No. No! NO! NO!" the boy screamed, voice breaking. People peered out their windows, went back inside, or hurried along.</p><p>"Lee!" cried Tenten, wanting to get closer but hesitating.</p><p>Guy gripped the boy harder.</p><p>"I'm here, Lee. I'm here," he whispered over and over into the boy's ear. He hunched over him, enveloping him entirely. Shielding him from the outside world, so he might be alone in his grief.</p><p>Mizuchi Lee stood uselessly, unable to watch, instead staring at her grandmother's still form. She swayed slightly. <em>So...dizzy. So...tired.</em> She rocked back and forth, farther and farther, until balance escaped her and she fell. Kakashi, just noticing, lunged to catch her, but the Hyuuga boy was faster. He knelt on the ground, holding her small frame up with one loose-sleeved arm, and frowned down at her, lilac eyes narrowed.</p><p>
  <em>I didn't know Lee had a sister…</em>
</p><p>His lip curled slightly when the white of his clothes stained pink. He studied the slight upturn of her nose, and the set of her brows, which angled a little downward in the center. Her cheekbones were high like Lee's, perhaps a little more pronounced. Or maybe just more obvious because her cheeks were not as round and her jaw not as wide. Her chin was the same as his too. But the face that should have been familiar was utterly different without Rock Lee's eyes.</p><p>This girl's eyes were not round at all. They were wide almonds, and they slanted downward in the inner corners, following the same slight angle as her brows. In those inner corners pooled glittering tears that threatened to overflow. And on her thick upper lashes droplets sparked like morning dew on the tips of grass. Her eyes were a little lighter than Lee's. Less like the night sky and more like a storm cloud.</p><p>And she was filthy. Really filthy. Her features were nearly buried under all that grime, the blood, the ash, the tiny cuts. She smelled like sweat and smoke. But even the knowledge that his clothing would be permanently ruined could not help Neji regain control of his limbs. He wanted to recoil, to burn his clothes, to run far away from her. So why couldn't he push her off of him? Why couldn't he breathe? If Kakashi hadn't crouched in front of them and called out to the girl, Neji might have sat there for hours.</p><p>"Lee-san? Mizuchi?" Kakash called. His voice was loud in her left ear, and then quiet, and then loud her right…"Mizuchi Lee, are you alright?"</p><p>Rock Lee suddenly wrenched himself free from Guy and was on his knees by his sister.</p><p>"Mizuchi!" he cried, "Mizuchi! She's hurt!" He pulled her away from Neji and into his own arms, not sparing the other boy a glance. Neji scowled and pushed himself off the ground, dusting his clothing off. "My sister. She's hurt! Sensei, the hospital!"</p><p>"No, no!" the girl protested shaking herself free of the stupor. She sat up resolutely. "I'm fine, Brother. Truly, I'm fine," she assured him, resting her hands gently on his chest, pressing away slightly. "Please, listen." She met his eyes. She was fully present and completely certain of herself. The message was so clear, that her brother released her with a stiff nod.</p><p>"What happened?" he whispered. Lee shook her head.</p><p>"It is a long tale. But Grandma Hatsu was brave and valiant. She died trying to protect this village. She's been protecting this village this whole time, Brother," Lee said, grasping his hands in hers. "All alone in the mountains, she's been protecting us. And now, she will continue to protect us. I am sure of it."</p><p>Rock Lee smiled and nodded. There was no greater honor or praise. Nothing his sister could offer would be a greater comfort.</p><p>"Did she say anything?" he asked quietly.</p><p>"She did." Mizuchi smiled.</p><p>He waited.</p><p>"She said that you and I, Brother, we are forces to be reckoned with." The girl sat on her knees, with her back straight, facing her brother directly. "She said that I must not lose to you. And I won't!" Her brother grinned in response, wiping the tears from his eyes. He nodded vigorously.</p><p>"And I will not lose to you either, Sister! You can bet on it!" Mizuchi beamed in response and stood up. Her brother followed her example.</p><p>"I must go with Guy-sama and Hatake-san to the Hokage," she said. "Will you wait for me?" Rock Lee nodded his assent.</p><p>"Tenten, Neji, I won't be able to train you today. I am truly sorry," said Guy bowing his head.</p><p>"That's fine, Sensei," said Tenten, waving a hand.</p><p>"Hmph." Neji spun on one foot and waltzed off.</p><p>"I'll spar with him or something. Nothing to worry about!" Tenten laughed nervously. "Nothing to worry about at all, Guy-sensei. You just do what you have to do. And Lee?"</p><p>"Yes, Tenten?" he responded, raising a bushy eyebrow. She put a hand on his shoulder.</p><p>"I'm here if you need me. Neji too. And to you as will, Mizuchi-san," she said, smiling at the smaller girl. Mizuchi blushed profusely and bowed.</p><p>"I will remember your kindness, Tenten-san!"</p><p>Tenten grinned, patted Rock Lee on the back, and, with a wave, took off after the sulky Neji.</p><p>"Well," Kakashi clapped, with an air of false cheer, "shall we, Lee-san?" He turned and walked toward the large red dome where the Hokage awaited. <em>Better just rip off the bandage, </em>he sighed to himself. <em>What a day.</em></p><p>"Yes!" the two Lee's agreed, the boy significantly louder.</p><p>"Ahh...That's a little confusing, isn't it?" He frowned, looking back at Mizuchi. "Do you mind if I just call you Mizuchi-san? We're hardly strangers, anymore. It seems more appropriate," Kakashi said amicably.</p><p>"Y-yes! Of course. Please do! I mean...you may, yes," stammered a scarlet Mizuchi, ducking behind her hair to hide her face. Kakashi chuckled and continued toward the Hokage's office.</p><p>Mizuchi jogged after him until she was just to the side and behind him. Her brother stayed close to her. As the four of them continued forward, Kakashi was amazed at how lively the boy seemed. He was no longer crying. His face was still red and a little damp, but his mood was so positive it defied logic. He was animatedly relaying the events of his previous mission to Mizuchi, who listened and nodded and said the right things at the right time. Her back wasn't hunched with exhaustion and her eyes were steady. Her limp was gone. Her chin was high. <em>How</em> those<em> parents raised </em>these<em> kids is beyond me,</em> Kakashi thought, running a hand through his hair. <em>They're so brave. And so strong. Is this your legacy, Ume Hatsu? </em>He glanced at the old woman's lifeless body, now being gently carried in Guy's arms. <em>I think I may have misjudged you.</em> He looked to the sky. <em>From now on, I'll do whatever I can to honor your sacrifice. Without you, their spirits may have been crushed long ago. You've kindled the fire. I won't let it go out.</em></p><hr/><p>The Hokage's office was no different from how it had looked earlier. The floor was still polished stone. The desk just as large and imposing. The windows still bright and expansive. But Lee was different. She looked different. And she felt different. She had walked through scary tunnels in the bowels of the Konoha mountains. She had experienced the gripping terror of a genjutsu that turned the world around her and corrupted her very senses. She had searched a magical cavern with glowing rocks and a lake that had never reflected the light of the sun. She had watched someone she loved die, and she had watched that person be avenged. She had witnessed an epic battle. And she had put an end to it. While it was not with her own hands, she had caused the death of dozens of people. People with lives and families and values. And she had pulled that last trigger, had lit that last tag, and the woman with the purple clothes and the auburn hair was gone. Buried in rubble. Only remembered by her absence.</p><p>To live after taking so many lives seemed an impossible task. But her brother needed her. And Grandma Hatsu believed in her. So she would live. <em>This time, truly</em>, she vowed. <em>With no regrets.</em></p><p>"Hokage-sama," Kakashi inclined his head. The old man turned away from the window and toward them, as if just noticing they were there. Lee wondered if ninja often pretended not to notice things or emulated any other habits of their life before.</p><p>"Kakashi, Guy, and Mizuchi Lee. I'm glad you're all safe. And Hatsu-san is…?" Guy shook his head in response. The Hokage's eyes saddened, and he nodded to himself. "I see." A pause. "I felt quite a rumble earlier."</p><p>"Ahh," Kakashi said, adjusting his headband, "your message came a little late, I'm afraid. We were overwhelmed by the enemy. There must have been two hundred of them. We didn't have a lot of options…"</p><p>"So you blew it up?" the Hokage asked, raising his eyebrows.</p><p>"Thoroughly," offered Guy.</p><p>"It was my fault, Hokage-sama," said Lee, raising a hand guilty. The Hokage frowned.</p><p>"Was it now?" She nodded, then, summing up her courage met his eyes. "Hatake-san and Guy-sama were fighting so many people. And they were doing really well, but they were getting tired," she said apologetically. "I was afraid what happened to Grandma Hatsu would happen to them. So I searched the scrolls for a jutsu we could use to win. I discovered the explosive tags. And I was able to figure out what would set them off, because I'd seen my brother's notes before. So I had Hatake-san and Guy-sama help me get them into the hidden doorway. There was coal dust everywhere, so when the tags went off, the whole place went with them. I'm truly sorry. I know that place had a lot of history and secrets." The Hokage frowned but nodded.</p><p>"Well nothing can be done now. And its existence was a threat to the village's safety. So, boys, tell me what happened down there. The other team had to retreat and wait for support. They said the enemy had great numbers. But when they came back, everyone had entered the tunnel. I'm afraid they had to burn down Hatsu-san's home to block the exit." Lee looked at the ground, but otherwise remained silent.</p><p>Kakashi and Guy proceeded to tell the Hokage about the fight, and then about the cat and the cat priest. Kakashi presented him with the staff, which Mizuchi gave up reluctantly. They told him about the Land of Cats and the duo's mysterious ally. And they told him about the last words of Ume Hatsu. The Hokage nodded gravely.</p><p>"I had feared that person would try something like this. It was only a matter of time," the old man pounded a fist on his desk, huffing in rage. Mizuchi jumped in surprise. "Sorry. I'm sorry, dear girl. It is an old man's old fight. Tell me, why did you bring this back with you?" he tapped the long staff laying across his desk, squinting at her curiously.</p><p>"I-I wasn't sure at first, Hokage-sama. But now, I"—the words caught in her throat. "But I know now. Those two, the cat, Shun, and the priest, Shishi...They aren't so different from my family." The Hokage raised his eyebrows and leaned forward, resting his chin against steepled fingers.</p><p>"They just wanted to protect their way of life. The world was closing in around them. Changing. Full of strange things they don't need and can't understand. They were frightened. Those two were frightened because they were full of love. For each other, and for their friends and family. I don't want their sacrifice to be forgotten." Kakashi opened his mouth. "They took someone precious from me. I know this." She glanced at Kakashi, before turning back to the Hokage. "But I don't believe they were evil, or even unkind. So please, with this staff, we have proof of their plight. They acted independently from their village, so the Village of Cats can't be held responsible. But their rebellion is proof that someone is hurting them. Someone in the Land of Fire is hurting them. You're the Hokage. There must be something that you can do! Something <em>only you</em> can do!" she finished, breathing heavily and face flushed.</p><p>The Hokage looked at her as if seeing her for the first time. He smiled slowly.</p><p>"You have a very good heart in your chest, and a very good head on your shoulders. I think I'll be seeing more of you in the future, Mizuchi Lee. Yes," he said, standing up and sliding open the window. He stretched an arm out, and when he retracted it, a large brown hawk was perched on his forearm. He set it down on a perch. He retrieved some parchment from his desk and jotted down a message. He tied it to the hawk's leg. "Take this to the Fire Daimyō." The hawk soared away.</p><p>"It was his wife who brought that cat here, after all. Hopefully she'll want to save face and he'll help," the old man offered in explanation.</p><p>"Thank you, Hokage-sama!" Lee smiled thankfully.</p><p>"I can't involve my shinobi in this matter, but I have a few strings I can pull." He tapped his nose, eyes twinkling. "Alright. I'll expect a formal report by tomorrow evening. From both of you." Guy and Kakashi sighed. "But for now, get yourselves checked out and get some rest. And Mizuchi Lee?"</p><p>"Yes, Hokage-sama?" she asked timidly.</p><p>"If you ever need help, you can borrow these two free of charge. They might not be alive without you, after all," the old man grinned cheekily. Mizuchi grinned back.</p><p>"I'm not a library book!" muttered Kakashi.</p><p>"At your service, Mizu-chan!" Guy saluted.</p><p>"Thank you!"</p><p>"Alright, off you go."</p><p>The three exited the office. They descended the stairs and found themselves out in the bright sun again.</p><p>"Well, I have to—" Guy shrugged the old woman in his arms uncomfortably. "I'll be off then," he said curtly, giving Mizuchi an apologetic smile. "Stay out of trouble, now, Mizu-chan!" He took off. Mizuchi waved sadly then followed Kakashi into the street. Kakashi blew some air out, kicking at the ground a bit.</p><p><em>What do I do with her now? </em>he thought, glancing at the girl. <em>I guess the hospital? I can't let her go back to the house after, though. They might actually kill her for a stunt like this. I need to talk to the Hokage again. Ok, hospital. Then, Hokage. I'm not letting her go back to those crazy people though. Not after everything she's been through. </em>He stopped.</p><p>"Mizuchi-san, I think—" Kakashi started.</p><p>"Hatake-san, I—" she said at the same time, arm reaching for his sleeve. He gestured for her to go first, but she shook her head, looking very distracted.</p><p>"What is it, Mizuchi-san?" he asked kindly, leaning down. She stared at her feet.</p><p>"It's just I...I want…" She shook her head again, then looked him square in the eye. "It has to be you! No one else will do! So please," she bowed abruptly, back straight, "Please be my sensei!"</p><p>"E-eh? Eh!?" Kakashi flustered. He fell into a fit of awkward coughing, pounding on his chest with a fist. He cleared his throat and took a deep breath. "Well," he exhaled, "I-I have been thinking about you becoming a ninja and getting you out of that house, but that's not exactly what I had in mind…" He scratched behind his ear sheepishly, tilting his head to one side. "You know I already have a team, right Mizuchi-san? With Sakura-chan. Haruno-san, I mean. And Naruto and Sasuke. I kind of have my hands full as it is…" He mumbled a "sorry" and bowed slightly, hands out and palms together. He looked down at her, with her sparkling eyes and dirty face. <em>She looks crestfallen…</em></p><p>"But," he said, regretting every word that left his mouth, "I can help you study and pass the exam. I think I still have some old notes you can borrow. And I'll make sure you end up with a really good sensei. Better than me. I'm actually really lazy. Bottom of the barrel. So you're better off with someone else." He nodded to himself, as if it were something to be proud of.</p><p>"No! I will prove to you that I am the ideal student. Even if it takes months or years, I will prove myself to you. So please! I won't consider anyone else. Kakashi Hatake, you are the finest shinobi in this village—"</p><p>"That's a little excessive—"</p><p>"I can't study under someone else in earnest, because they will always be lacking in comparison. So please!" She knelt in the street and bowed deeply. "Please understand!"</p><p>"A-ahhh." Kakashi ruffled his hair nervously, looking around. People were staring. A child pointed towards them, exclaiming something to his mother, who frowned at Kakashi and ushered her kid in the other direction. "That's...Look," Kakashi said shakily, "just get up for now. Neh? Please? Come on. Mizuchi-san." He tugged at her arm gently. She shook her head stubbornly, forehead still resolutely pressed to the ground. Kakashi sighed and stared up into the clouds. <em>Obito, please save me.</em></p><p>"Mizuchi-san..." She didn't move. "Ok. I'll train you." She shot upright. Beaming. Smiling. Forehead and eyebrows dusted with a fresh coat of dirt. She laughed joyfully, springing to her feet.</p><p>"Thank you, Hatake-san. Thank you so mu—!"</p><p>"But only until you earn your headband!" he snapped pointedly, his hands rising to his hips. "It's the middle of the semester at the Academy, and you're a little old to be starting there anyway. So I'll help you out this time. But I won't be able to give you my full attention," he warned, leaning over her. "I'll have to leave on missions sometimes, and my team is my top priority. And I don't even know that much about teaching. Not the basics, anyway. It sounds like you learned a bit from your brother and his notes, so hopefully it won't be too hard." She nodded eagerly.</p><p>"And in that time, I will prove myself to you, surely!" Kakashi slapped his forehead. "Thank you for this opportunity, Kakashi Hatake. I look forward to our training. And to the day I can call you 'Sensei'!"</p><p>"I don't know about all that. But I'm going to work you into the ground, so you better be serious about this! Once your parents know, I don't think they're going to want you back there. So if you decide you can't handle it halfway, you're not going to have anywhere to go."</p><p>"I will stake my life on this! I will become a splendid ninja, just like you! And I will not lose to my brother!" The fires of determination burned in her eyes. "I'm going to be a ninja you can be proud of, Grandma Hatsu! Please continue to watch over me!" she shouted toward the mountains. Everyone stared as Kakashi prayed for the ground to swallow them up.</p><p><em>What have I gotten myself into?</em> he thought, wiping away nervous sweat. <em>Ahh-ahh. Oh well. I already promised after all.</em> He smoothed his hair, which flopped back up immediately. <em>But if Naruto or Sasuke finds out about this, I'm really gonna die. Even Sakura-chan won't be happy. This secret...I'm gonna have to take it to the grave.</em></p>
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